LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS: CLINICALMICROBIOLOGICAL PROFILE AND THERAPEUTIC IMPLICATIONS

Rezumat

Hospitalized lower respiratory tract infections present clinical and antimicrobial-management challenges, particularly when acquired during hospitalization. This retrospective study examined 47 patient records from the Pneumology I Department of Leamna Pulmonology Hospital (2022- 2025). Forty cases were community-acquired (85.1 %) and seven hospital-acquired (14.9 %).
Sputum cultures were negative in 20 cases (42.6 %). Recorded agents included Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Haemophilus influenzae and Staphylococcus aureus. Mean antibiotic duration was longer in hospital-acquired than community-acquired cases (11.3 versus 7.8 days; p = 0.016), while length of stay did not differ significantly (15.7 versus 10.9 days; p = 0.079). Severe cases had longer hospital stays (19.4 versus 10.3 days; p = 0.002) and a lower frequency of favorable clinical response. The findings underline the importance of severity assessment, microbiological testing and susceptibility-guided antibiotic reassessment, while the small hospital-acquired subgroup limits generalization.