Drug-resistant pathogens in community- and hospital-acquired pneumonia

Pneumonia remains a common illness and a major cause of morbidity and morta lity in the United States. Although a number of factors affect patient outc ome in pneumonia, the rapid institution of effective antimicrobial therapy is known to reduce mortality. Unfortunately, the past decade has witnessed a dramatic increase in the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in respir atory pathogens and much of this resistance is related to commonly used ant imicrobial agents. This article discusses the incidence of resistance, iden tifies the risk factors associated with resistance, and describes the curre nt mechanisms of resistance for bacteria that commonly cause pneumonia.