Symptoms of bacterial pneumonia include chills, shivering, and chest pain. Fever, rapid breathing, rapid heart rate, and wheezing are other signs of bacterial pneumonia.
A diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia depends mostly on the results of chest x-rays, blood tests (especially those looking for the bacteria and measuring white blood cell counts), and examination of sputum (phlegm) samples.
Because Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is another common form of pneumonia, especially in HIV-positive people with suppressed immune systems, more advanced testing of sputum samples may be necessary. This is because bacterial pneumonia and pneumocystis pneumonia are treated very differently. In turn, it is important to rule out PCP in some HIV-positive people. Testing for PCP is recommended if the HIV-positive patient has fewer than 250 CD4 cells, other signs of immune deficiency (such as thrush), a history of PCP, or a history of another AIDS-related condition. Testing for tuberculosis, such as tuberculin skin testing (TST), may also be required.
Because of the increased risk of the infection spreading beyond the lungs in people with lower CD4 counts, and because drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus requires different treatment, your provider may conduct a blood test to look for these conditions.
Search for news stories about this topic