Pneumococcal Pneumonia

Question 1

Signs and symptoms

Answer 1

Cough, fever and single shaking chill, rust colored sputum from degraded blood shortness of breath, chest pain

Question 2

Causative agent

Answer 2

Cause by Streptococcus pneumoniae, a Gram positive diplococcus known as pneumococcus
Has a thick polysaccharide capsule which is responsible for organism’s virulence

Question 3

Pathogenesis

Answer 3

Inhalation of encapsulated pneumoccoci; colonization of the alveoli triggers an inflammatory response; plasma, blood, and inflammatory cells fill the alveoli; pain results from the involvement of nerve endings

Question 4

Epidemiology

Answer 4

High carrier rates for S. pneumoniae. Risk for pneumonia increased with conditions such as alcoholism, narcotic use, and viral infections that impair the mucocillary escalator. Other predisposing factors are chronic heart or lung disease, diabetes, and cancer

Question 5

Treatment and prevention

Answer 5

Treatment: antibiotics. Prevention: Polysaccharide vaccine against 23 serotypes; conjugate vaccine against 13 serotypes