Abstract
Etiological agents of hospitalized 290 cases of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children during recent 13.5 years were analysed. Diagnostic methods used were blood and sputum culture.viral and chlamydial antigen detection, and viral and mycoplasmal antibody response. Causative agents were detected in 205 (71%) of the patients. Thirty-nine percent of the patients had bacterial infection, 22% had mycoplasmal infection, 18% had viral infection, and 10%had concomitant viral-bacterial and mycoplasmal-bacterial infection.Bacterial species isolated were H. influenzae (22%), S. pneumoniae (16%), and M. catarrhalis (5%). No other bacteria such as S.aureus were detected.In viral agents.RS virus was detected in 10% of the patients. Although bacteria and/or virus were the main cause of CAP in infant group, M. pneumoniae was an overwhelming cause in elderly group.The cases with bacteremia were seen in 4 (1.4%) of the 290 patiente, and the isolated strains were S. pneumoniae only. All of these four bacteremic patients showed lobar (consolidative) pneumonia pattern.
