To the Editor: Influenza causes around 8% of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) episodes,1 and during the (H1N1) 2009 influenza pandemic, concurrent bacterial infections were detected in up to 29% of fatal infections.2 Determining microbial aetiology of CAP can guide antibiotic and antiviral therapy.
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- 1. Charles PG, Whitby M, Fuller AJ, et al; Australian CAP Study Collaboration. The etiology of community-acquired pneumonia in Australia: why penicillin plus doxycycline or a macrolide is the most appropriate therapy. Clin Infect Dis 2008; 46: 1513-1521.
- 2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bacterial coinfections in lung tissue specimens from fatal cases of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) – United States, May-August 2009. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2009; 58: 1071-1074.
- 3. Respiratory tract infections: pneumonia. In: Therapeutic guidelines: antibiotic. Version 13. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Ltd, 2006.
- 4. Mandell LA, Wunderink RG, Anzueto A, et al. Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society consensus guidelines on the management of community-acquired pneumonia in adults. Clin Infect Dis 2007; 44 Suppl 2: S27-S72.
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Acknowledgement: We thank Garry Lane from Western Health for identifying potentially eligible patients in the suburban hospitals.