title: The laboratory diagnosis of pneumonia. The role of the community hospital pathologist.
abstract: Pneumonia is one of the most serious infections seen in community hospital practice, with virulent bacteria and viruses producing infections in the healthy host and a variety of opportunistic organisms capable of causing disease in the immunocompromised patient. Accurate laboratory diagnosis is extremely important for correct clinical management of pneumonia, and the community hospital pathologist can take an active role in daily review of respiratory tract specimens to optimize and coordinate this important laboratory testing. This article discusses strategies for improving sputum Gram stain interpretation and for the use of both routine and supplementary cultures in community-acquired pneumonias and outlines a comprehensive consultative approach for rapid and reliable pneumonia diagnosis in the compromised patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Saint Joseph Hospital and Health Care Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yungbluth
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D005840:Gentian Violet; D006764:Hospitals, Community; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D010338:Pathology, Clinical; D010619:Phenazines; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: C035863:Gram's stain; D010619:Phenazines; D005840:Gentian Violet