I. Introduction This is a case of a 74 year old woman who was diagnosed with Community Acquired Pneumonia.

Pneumonia is an inflammation or infection of the lungs most commonly caused by a bacteria or virus. Pneumonia can also be caused by inhaling vomit or other foreign substances. In all cases, the lungs' air sacs fill with pus , mucous, and other liquids and cannot function properly. This means oxygen cannot reach the blood and the cells of the body.
Most pneumonias are caused by bacterial infections.The most common infectious cause of pneumonia in the United States is the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae. Bacterial pneumonia can attack anyone. The most common cause of bacterial pneumonia in adults is a bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae or Pneumococcus. Pneumococcal pneumonia occurs only in the lobar form.
An increasing number of viruses are being identified as the cause of respiratory infection. Half of all pneumonias are believed to be of viral origin. Most viral pneumonias are patchy and the body usually fights them off without help from medications or other treatments.
Pneumococcus can affect more than the lungs. The bacteria can also cause serious infections of the covering of the brain (meningitis), the bloodstream, and other parts of the body.
Community-acquired pneumonia develops in people with limited or no contact with medical institutions or settings. The most commonly identified pathogens areStreptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and atypical organisms (ie, Chlamydia pneumoniae,Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Legionella sp). Symptoms and signs are fever, cough, pleuritic chest pain, dyspnea, tachypnea, and tachycardia. Diagnosis is based on clinical presentation and chest x-ray. Treatment is with empirically chosen antibiotics. Prognosis is excellent for relatively young or healthy patients, but many pneumonias, especially when