Pulmonary infections in the compromised host

Immunocompromised hosts are predisposed to pulmonary infection with a wide variety of pathogens. A cooperative team effort is recommended to complete, in stepwise fashion, the procedures necessary to establish the specific cause of pulmonary infiltrates in the compromised host. The diagnostic approach needs to be individualized, and will depend in part on the urgency of the clinical situation and the skills available at the institution providing treatment.