Q.Write a short note on pneumonia, mentioning its pathogen, symptoms and prophylaxis.

[!TLDR] Pneumonia is lung-tissue inflammation, commonly caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, impairing gas exchange in the alveoli.

Pneumonia is caused (in its bacterial form) by Streptococcus pneumoniae, infecting the alveoli, which fill with fluid and impair oxygen exchange. Symptoms include high fever, chills, mucus-producing cough and breathing difficulty. Prophylaxis includes good nutrition, avoiding overcrowding, and vaccination for vulnerable groups. …

Pneumonia is an inflammation of lung tissue that, in its common bacterial form, is caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (though viral and fungal causes also exist). The bacteria infect the alveoli — the tiny air sacs of the lungs responsible for exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide with the blood — causing them to fill with inflammatory fluid, which severely impairs this normal gas exchange. Clinically, pneumonia produces high fever with chills, a cough that typically brings up mucus, chest discomfort, and difficulty in breathing; in severe cases where oxygen levels fall significantly, the lips and fingernails may show a bluish tinge (cyanosis). Prophylaxis against pneumonia centres on maintaining good general nutrition and overall immune health, avoiding overcrowded and poorly ventilated living spaces (since these favour droplet transmission of the causative bacteria), and vaccination against Streptococcus pneumoniae, which …

• Confusing pneumonia's site of infection (the alveoli, deep in the lung) with the common cold's site (the nasal/upper respiratory mucosa). …