title: Atypical pneumonia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We present the key advances in the infections that clinicians conventionally associate with atypical pneumonia: legionellosis, Mycoplasma pneumonia, Chlamydophila species pneumonia and Q fever.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There have been significant developments in molecular diagnosis to include Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydophila pneumoniae in multiplex PCR of respiratory specimens. There are diagnostic challenges in distinguishing carriage from infection, which is recognized in C. pneumoniae and now also evident in M. pneumoniae. Macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae has emerged in Asia. There are new antimicrobials on the horizon in the ketolide class with activity against typical and atypical pathogens and useful empirical agents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are few advances in our knowledge of the epidemiology of atypical pathogens or the effectiveness of antimicrobial therapy--empirical or pathogen specific. However, if molecular testing becomes widely implemented, there will be an increased understanding of the epidemiology and presentation of atypical pneumonia and a shift to more targeted antimicrobial therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology and Virology, University College London Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Basarab
authors.forename: M Bruce
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Macrae
authors.forename: Carmel M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Curtis
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D023521:Chlamydophila Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000635:transmission; D016993:Chlamydophila pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002691:Chlamydophila psittaci / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000635:transmission; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007876:Legionellosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000635:transmission; D008297:Male; D009177:Mycoplasma pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques / Q000379:methods; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000635:transmission; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000635:transmission; D009956:Psittacosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000635:transmission; D011778:Q Fever / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000635:transmission
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial