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Pneumonia

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Pneumonia is a lung disease. Pneumococcal pneumonia can infect the upper respiratory tract and can spread to the blood, lungs, ear, or nervous system.

Pneumococcal pneumonia mainly causes illness in children younger than 2 years old and adults 65 years of age or older. The elderly are especially at risk of getting seriously ill and dying from this disease. In addition, people with certain medical conditions such as chronic heart, lung, or liver diseases or sickle cell anemia are also at increased risk for getting pneumococcal pneumonia. People with HIV infection, AIDS, or people who have had organ transplants and are taking medicines that lower their resistance to infection are also at high risk of getting this

1 Cause
2 Transmission
3 Symptoms
4 Diagnosis
5 Treatment
6 Prevention
7 Complications
8 Research
9 Related Links
- 9.1 Government Links
- 9.2 Non-government Links

Cause

Pneumonia can be caused by a variety of viruses, bacteria, and sometimes fungi. Pneumococcal pneumonia is caused by bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae. S. pneumoniae is also called pneumococcus.

Transmission

Pneumococcus is spread through contact between people who are ill or who carry the bacteria in their throat. You can get pneumococcal pneumonia from respiratory droplets from the nose or mouth of an infected person. It is common for people, especially children, to carry the bacteria in their throats without being sick.

Symptoms

Pneumococcal pneumonia may begin suddenly. You may first have a severe shaking chill which is usually followed by

High fever
Cough
Shortness of breath
Rapid breathing
Chest pains

Other symptoms may include

Nausea
Vomiting
Headache
Tiredness
Muscle aches

Diagnosis

Your health care provider can diagnose pneumonia based on your

Other bacteria and germs also can cause pneumonia. Therefore, if you have any of the symptoms of pneumonia, you should get diagnosed early and start taking medicine, if appropriate.

Your health care provider can usually diagnose pneumococcal pneumonia by finding S. pneumoniae bacteria in your blood, saliva, or lung fluid.

Treatment

Your health care provider usually will prescribe antibiotics to treat this disease. The symptoms of pneumococcal pneumonia usually go away within 12 to 36 hours after you start taking medicine.

Some bacteria such as S. pneumoniae, however, are now capable of resisting and fighting off antibiotics. Such antibiotic resistance is increasing worldwide because these medicines have been overused or misused. Therefore, if you are at risk of getting pneumococcal pneumonia, you should talk with your health care provider about what you can do to prevent it.

Prevention

The pneumococcal vaccine is the only way to prevent getting pneumococcal pneumonia. Vaccines are available for children and adults.

The Vaccines and Immunizations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you get the pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine if you are in any of the following groups.

You are 65 years old or older
You have a serious long-term health problem such as heart disease, sickle cell disease, alcoholism, lung disease (not including asthma), diabetes, or liver cirrhosis
Your resistance to infection is lowered due to
- HIV infection or AIDS
- Lymphoma, leukemia, or other cancers
- Cancer treatment with x-rays or medicines
- Treatment with long-term steroid medicines
- Bone Marrow or organ transplant
- Kidney failure or kidney syndrome
- Damaged spleen or no spleen
You are an Alaskan Native or from certain Native American populations

NIP also recommends that all babies and children younger than 2 years old get the pneumococcal vaccine.

Contact your health care provider to find out whether you or your child should be vaccinated to prevent pneumococcal pneumonia.

Complications

In about 30 percent of people with pneumococcal pneumonia, the bacteria invade the bloodstream from the lungs. This causes bacteremia, a very serious complication of pneumococcal pneumonia that also can cause other lung problems and certain heart problems.

Research

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) supports research on more effective prevention and treatment approaches to control pneumonia and its causes, including

Developing and testing vaccines and treatments for the disease-causing microbes that cause pneumonia
Stimulating research on the structure and function of these microbes
Developing better and more rapid diagnostic tools
Understanding the long-term health impact respiratory pathogens have in various populations
Examining the effect of vaccines in high-risk populations
Determining how pneumococcus causes disease and becomes resistant to antibiotics

NIAID research has made important contributions to developing the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for children. This vaccine helps prevent pneumococcal diseases in babies and toddlers and is the latest advance in developing vaccines against common bacterial infections.

NIAID supports studies to develop and evaluate improved pneumococcal vaccines for children worldwide. In one such study, NIAID researchers worked with the government of The Gambia (a country in west Africa) and scientists from several international research institutions to test a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

Health care experts have consistently identified pneumococcus as the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia in The Gambia. In a pattern typical of many developing areas, infant and child mortality rates in The Gambia are high, acute respiratory infections are a leading cause of death, and pneumococcus is the most common cause of these infections.

Results of a four-year, randomized controlled clinical trial showed that the vaccine reduced childhood mortality by 16 percent in children who received the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The vaccine was 77 percent effective in preventing infections caused by the vaccine serotypes. For more information about this study, visit [/research/topics/bacterial/clinical/Gambia/GambiaPneumococcalVaccineTrial.htm The Gambia Pneumococcal Vaccine Trial].