DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VIRAL AND BACTERIAL PNEUMONIA

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VIRAL AND BACTERIAL PNEUMONIA

Pneumonia may be a serious acute respiratory ailment. it’s related to recently developed radiological pulmonary shadowing and it can multilobar, lobar or segmental. It can affect people as a primary disease or patients who are already affected by other ailments. It can occur from different pathogenic organisms like viruses, bacteria and fungi etc.

It should be noted that each one sorts of pneumonias basically share same characteristics. But this text throws light on differences that exists between bacterial pneumonia and viral infection.

Bacterial pneumonia

It causes acute air space pneumonia thanks to infection by bacteria which multiplied extracellularly within the alveoli. The foremost common pathogen liable for this sort of pneumonia is streptococcus pneumonia. It accounts for 60% 70% cases. While other bacteria that causes pneumoania includes mycoplasma (1-2%), Legionella pneumophilia (2-5%) and staphylococcus aureus (1-2%) etc.

The symptoms and signs vary counting on the organisms. For e.g. the pneumonia caused thanks to mycoplasma shows complicated symptoms like meningoenchephalitis, hemolytic anemia, pericarditis, erythema, myocarditis while those occurred by streptococcus pneumonia causes simple symptoms like rusty color sputum.

The diagnosis of this ailment is predicated on clinical symptoms and includes sputum examination, chest x ray, blood cultures and serology. Antibiotics are used for treating bacterial pneumonias.

Viral pneumonia

Viral pneumonia occurs as an easy virus infection. This ailment gets complicated if it gets attacked by another bacterial infection. Measles, influenza and parainfluenza are the common pathogens liable for the spreading of viral pneumonias. You’d be sad to read that infants are the worst victims of RSV. Varicella infections if becomes complicated can cause severe pneumonia in patients.

The diagnosis of viral infection is formed by investigations and clinical symptoms.

You would be glad to read that viral pneumonias can get cured spontaneously if not complicated in nature. For preventing super added bacterial infections to occur doctors prescribes antibiotics to patient.

Differences between bacterial pneumonia and viral infection

• Bacterial pneumonias are more common as compared to viral pneumonias.
• Complications are far more common with bacterial pneumonia whereas viral pneumonias only get complicated by super added bacterial infections.
• Bacterial pneumonias usually cause air space and respiratory disease.
• Bacterial pneumonias are often treated using antibiotics prescribed by doctor depending upon the sensitivity of organism but viral pneumonias are often treated spontaneously unless it’s in its complicated stage which needs complex treating procedure.