Pneumonia
Updated February 09, 2015.
Definition:
Pneumonia, or inflammation of the lungs, is the most common type of infectious disease of the lung. Infectious pneumonias are usually identified by naming the cause of the infection or the pattern of the infection in the respiratory tract.
More than half of the cases of pneumonia are caused by the bacterium, Streptococcal pneumoniae(pneumonococcus) and are called pneumonococcal pneumonia.
Influenza A is the cause of a significant number of cases of pneumonia in the elderly during the winter months. Another well-known form of pneumonia is Legionnaires' disease, which is caused by the organism, Legionella pneumophila.
Definition:
Pneumonia, or inflammation of the lungs, is the most common type of infectious disease of the lung. Infectious pneumonias are usually identified by naming the cause of the infection or the pattern of the infection in the respiratory tract.
More than half of the cases of pneumonia are caused by the bacterium, Streptococcal pneumoniae(pneumonococcus) and are called pneumonococcal pneumonia.
Influenza A is the cause of a significant number of cases of pneumonia in the elderly during the winter months. Another well-known form of pneumonia is Legionnaires' disease, which is caused by the organism, Legionella pneumophila.