Treatment
CAP is treated by administering an antibiotic which is effective in killing the offending microorganism as well as managing any complications of the infection. If the causative microorganism is unidentified, different antibiotics are tested in the laboratory in order to identify which medication will be most effective. Often, however, no microorganism is ever identified. Also, since laboratory testing can take several days, there is some delay until an organism is identified. In both cases, a person's risk factors for different organisms must be remembered when choosing the initial antibiotics (called empiric therapy). Additional consideration must be given to the setting in which the individual will be treated. Most people will be fully treated after taking oral pills while other people need to be hospitalized for intravenous antibiotics and, possibly, intensive care. In general, all therapies in older children and adults will include treatment for atypical bacteria. Typically this is a macrolide antibiotic such as azithromycin or clarithromycin although a fluoroquinolone such as levofloxacin can substitute. Doxycycline is now the antibiotic of choice in the UK for complete coverage of the atypical bacteria. This is due to increased levels of clostridium difficile seen in hospital patients being linked to the increased use of clarithromycin.
Read more about this topic: Community-acquired Pneumonia
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