Do 'Atypical ' bacteria are a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalised adults?
'Atypical' bacteria, especially C. pneumoniae, are a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia in adults in South Africa. This is the first demonstration of an aetiological role of C. pneumoniae in this country. We confirmed the finding of other studies that there are no clinical, radiographic or laboratory features characteristic of 'atypical' bacterial infection in hospitalised patients. This has major implications for therapy, as these organisms respond to erythromycin and tetracyclines, but not to beta-lactam antibiotics.
Our data question the relevance of the APOE-ε4 allele as a predictor of cognitive impairment in PD.