Common Pathogens Causing Pneumonia and Respiratory Tract Infections in Respiratory Medicine
The lung is continuously exposed to microbial pathogens through two routes — inhalation of airborne droplets, spores, and infectious particles, and microaspiration of commensal bacteria from the colonized upper respiratory tract — yet normal immune mechanisms typically keep the lower respiratory tract sterile. When these defenses fail, respiratory tract infections, particularly pneumonia, result, and among the causative pathogens (including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and influenza A), Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of pneumonia and a leading global cause of mortality from respiratory infection.
Common Pathogens Causing Pneumonia and Respiratory Tract Infections in Respiratory Medicine
The lung is continuously exposed to microbial pathogens through two routes — inhalation of airborne droplets, spores, and infectious particles, and microaspiration of commensal bacteria from the colo…