Abstract
Pneumonia is a common disease and one of the world’s leading causes of death. The objective of this study was to elucidate the microbiological features of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP). In total, 169 patients (111 CAP and 58 HCAP) were analyzed. Pathogens were identified in 49 (44.1%) of 111 patients with CAP and 33 (56.8%) of 58 patients with HCAP. The occurrence of pathogens was associated with the severity of pneumonia in patients with CAP. However, this feature was not observed in patients with HCAP. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae were more frequently detected in patients with HCAP (22.4%) than in patients with CAP (7.2%). The microbiological profile of HCAP was different from that of CAP. Therefore, clinical microbiologists should consider the patient’s background and the severity and type of pneumonia in the identification of causative pathogens.
