Microbiological profile of community-acquired pneumonia in adults over the last 20 years
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Experimental Human Pneumococcal Carriage
Published on: February 15, 2013
L S G E Howard1, M Sillis, M C Pasteur
1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Colney Lane, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7UY, UK. luke.howard@tinyworld.co.uk
Objectives:
To assess any change in the microbiological profile of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in our region over the last 20 years.
Methods:
We compared hospital admissions aged between 15 and 74 (n = 61) in Norfolk (UK) for CAP over a 19-month period in 1982-3 (ST1) with all admissions aged over 16 (n = 99) over a 14-month period in 1999-2000 (ST2). Data were collected for ST1 as part of a prospective multicentred research study, in a period of high Mycoplasma pneumoniae activity. ST2 was a prospective study of clinical practice. Chlamydophila species were differentiated in ST2 using whole-cell immunofluorescence.
Results:
A microbiological diagnosis was made in 38 (62%) in ST1 compared with 48 (48%) in ST2. Streptococcus pneumoniae remained the most common pathogen (26% in ST1, 25% in ST2). The incidence of M. pneumoniae was 18% in ST1 and 4% in ST2. The proportion of viral pathogens identified was similar: nine (15%) in ST1 and 14 (14%) in ST2. No cases of Chlamydophila pneumoniae were diagnosed in ST2.
Conclusions:
The microbiological profile of CAP in Norfolk (UK) has not changed over the last 20 years and C. pneumoniae is not a frequent pathogen.
More Related Videos
11:32Following in Real Time the Impact of Pneumococcal Virulence Factors in an Acute Mouse Pneumonia Model Using Bioluminescent Bacteria
Published on: February 23, 2014
12:21A Mouse Model for the Transition of Streptococcus pneumoniae from Colonizer to Pathogen upon Viral Co-Infection Recapitulates Age-Exacerbated Illness
Published on: September 28, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Pneumonia I: Introduction
Risk Factors
Various factors influence the likelihood of developing pneumonia. Age plays a crucial role, with infants, children under two, and individuals over 65 at increased risk due to their...
Pneumonia III: Complications and Assessment
Development of Human Microbiota
Microbiota of the Respiratory Tract
Atypical Pneumonia
Pneumonia I: Introduction