Profile of community- and hospital-acquired pneumonia cases admitted to Basra General Hospital, Iraq

ABSTRACT

Over an 18- month period 485 throat swabs and sputum samples were taken from patients admitted to Basra General Hospital, Iraq, with a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia. Most patients [94.0%] had community- acquired pneumonia; 29 [6.0%] had hospital- acquired pneumonia. Patients aged males had the highest incidence of pneumonia. Cases were analysed by type of pneumonia bronchial [76.3%] versus lobar [23.7%], and primary [81.0%] versus secondary [19.0%]. The most common pathogen was Streptococcus pneumoniae [43.9%] followed by Mycoplasma pneumoniae [19.4%]; a low percentage were Proteus spp. [1.2%]. Twenty patients were infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis