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Pneumonia Disease Research Paper

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Pneumonia is a common disease, which occurs in all age groups. However, pneumonia is the leading cause of death in elderly, people who are chronically and terminally ill, and children under five years old worldwide. It can result from a variety of causes, including infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites, and chemical or physical injury to the lungs. Pneumonia is an irregular inflammatory condition of the lung. It is often described as inflammation and abnormal fluid filling of the alveoli of the lung, which are microscopic air filled sacs in the lungs responsible for gas exchange. [2] Typical symptoms associated with pneumonia include cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty in breathing. Diagnostic tools include x-rays and …show more content…

The most common causes of bacterial pneumonia are Streptococcus pneumoniae and "atypical" bacteria. Atypical bacteria are parasitic bacteria that live inside the cell or do not have a cell wall. Furthermore, they cause generally less severe pneumonia, therefore atypical symptoms, and respond to different antibiotics than other bacteria. In the nose or mouth of many healthy people, you can find Gram-positive type bacteria that cause pneumonia. In developing countries, approximately one million children annually are killed by Streptococcus pnuemoniae. Another important Gram-positive bacterium is Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus agalactiae cause of pneumonia in newborn babies. Gram-negative bacteria cause pneumonia less often than gram-positive bacteria. Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Moraxella catarrhalis are some of the gram-negative bacteria that cause pneumonia. If vomit is inhaled, these bacteria may enter the lungs because it often lives in the stomach or intestines. Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Legionella pneumophila are “atypical" bacteria, which cause pneumonia. [1] Fungal pneumonia is infrequent. However, individuals with immune system problems due to AIDS, immunosuppresive drugs, or other medical problems are vulnerable to fungal pneumonia. The pneumonia caused by fungi is similar to that of bacterial

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