The infectious agents that cause pneumonia can vary with age. Here are all the common causes of pneumonia from newborns to elderly.
Some topics you will learn in this infographic:
E. Coli:
This gram negative, lactose fermenting bacilli can be passed to a neonate during birth. Its polysaccharide capsule, K antigen, surround some pathogenic strains of E. coli. These pathogenic strains of K antigen can cause neonatal meningitis and pneumonia.
RSV (Viruses):
Respiratory syncytial virus is in the paramyxovirus family of enveloped, single stranded, negative sense, linear, nonsegmented RNA viruses that have a helical capsid. Although usually mild, RSV can cause more serious infections in premature infants, which may present with high fever, rapid breathing.
Mycoplasma:
Also known as walking pneumonia, the bacterium Mycoplasma causes an atypical pneumonia. Unlike typical pneumonia, this form lasts longer, lacks sputum and has extra-pulmonary symptoms. There are frequent outbreaks of Mycoplasma pneumonia in people living in close quarters, such as military recruits and in prisons. This bacteria is one of the common causes of pneumonia in individuals ages 4 weeks to 65 years.
Viruses:
Influenza type A and B are the most common viral causes of pneumonia in adults ages 40-65.
Anaerobes:
.Bacteria that cannot survive in the presence of oxygen can cause pneumonia through aspiration. Some examples of anaerobes that cause pneumonia through aspiration are Peptostreptococcus, Fusobacterium, Prevotella, and Bacteroides.
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