Pneumonia is contagious or not: is pneumonia contagious, how is the infection spread
The content of the article:
-
Causative agents of the disease
- Pneumococci
- Streptococci
- Staphylococci
- Klebsiella
- Chlamydia
- Viruses
- Factors affecting the development of the disease
-
Ways of transmission
- Respiratory tract
- Contact-household way
- Sexual and perinatal route
- Hospital-acquired pneumonia
- Signs of pneumonia
- Prevention
- Video
Is pneumonia contagious or not? This question interests many people, surrounded by a person with characteristic symptoms of pathology. In most cases, pneumonia is an infectious disease. In general, the disease itself is not contagious, but the infection that caused the development of the inflammatory process can be transmitted from person to person.
The causative agent of pneumonia can be transmitted in different ways, including by airborne droplets
Pneumonia is a disease in which inflammation affects the lung tissue. Depending on its location, it can be right-sided, left-sided or bilateral.
Pneumonia is a fairly common disease. Every year, about 450 million people on the planet suffer from pneumonia, while approximately 7 million die from this disease.
The infectiousness of the pathology depends on several factors:
- form of the disease;
- causative agent of the disease;
- the state of the human immune system.
Such forms of pneumonia as congestive (in bedridden patients), autoimmune and allergic, cannot be transmitted to another person.
Causative agents of the disease
Pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi. The most serious forms of pneumonia are caused by a bacterial infection that can enter the lung tissue from the outside or through the bloodstream from other foci of inflammation.
Pneumococci
In almost 80% of cases, these pathogenic microorganisms become the causative agents of pneumonia. Most often, they provoke acute forms of the disease with respiratory manifestations in the form of a runny nose, choking, and high fever. They enter the human body in different ways and do not always lead to the development of the disease.
Streptococci
Streptococcal pneumonia is less common than pneumococcal pneumonia, and its course is not so severe. Bacteria are transmitted from person to person in different ways; they can live in the body for a long time without leading to serious diseases.
In most cases, bacteria lead to the development of pathology - streptococci, pneumococci, staphylococci
Most often, streptococcus causes the development of tonsillitis. But sometimes, when immunity is weakened, these bacteria lead to pneumonia. Streptococcal pneumonia can also be a complication of colds.
Staphylococci
In rare cases, the causative agent of pneumonia is staphylococcus (hemolytic, golden). These bacteria are conditionally pathogenic microorganisms, they live on the mucous membranes of the mouth, stomach, intestines and genitals.
With a decrease in immunity, bacteria can form large conglomerates, with reduced sensitivity to therapy. Staphylococcus bacteria can enter the human body in any way.
Klebsiella
There are many varieties of these enterobacteriaceae. They are classified as conditionally pathogenic microorganisms that reveal their disease-causing qualities only under certain conditions. The most dangerous are:
| Type of bacteria | Features of the course of the disease |
| Klebsiella pneumoniae (Friedlander's bacillus, Klebsiella pneumoniae) | Children are most susceptible to its effects. Most often, this type of bacteria provokes intestinal disorders, but in some cases it causes pneumonia with severe enough symptoms. |
| Klebsiella oxytoca (klebsiella oxytoca) | In rare cases, causes a sluggish form of pneumonia with mild symptoms |
| Klebsiella ozaenae (klebsiella ozenes) | In most cases, it provokes a fetid rhinitis, but with a weakened immunity, it can lead to the development of generalized forms of pneumonia with pronounced symptoms from the gastrointestinal or genitourinary tract |
Chlamydia
The causative agent of atypical pneumonia can be bacteria from the genus Chlamydia:
| Type of bacteria | Features of the course of the disease |
| Chlamydophila pneumoniae (chlamydia pneumoniae) | These microorganisms cause sluggish pneumonia. The disease is not so dangerous, but quickly becomes chronic and often worsens |
| Chlamydia trachomatis (chlamydia trachomatis) | Causes very severe forms of the disease, in some cases fatal |
| Chlamydia psittaci (chlamydia psittatsi) | Causes severe, difficult-to-treat pneumonia |
Viruses
The causative agent of pneumonia can be influenza viruses, parainfluenza, adenoviruses, measles virus. Initially, the disease begins with symptoms of a cold, and then symptoms characteristic of pneumonia appear.
Viruses are among the possible causative agents of pneumonia
Often the viral form of the disease is complicated by the addition of a bacterial infection.
Factors affecting the development of the disease
The following factors influence the development of pneumonia:
- decreased immunity;
- old age of the patient;
- the presence of chronic diseases of the bronchopulmonary system;
- prematurity of the child;
- frequent colds;
- the presence of bad habits;
- work in hazardous industries;
- living in ecologically unfavorable areas;
- frequent hypothermia;
- lung pathology;
- chest trauma.
Ways of transmission
Pneumonia is contagious if a person's immunity is severely weakened. Pathogenic microorganisms can enter the patient's body in different ways.
Respiratory tract
Most often, infections enter the human body by airborne droplets. During a conversation, coughing or sneezing, microscopic drops of biological fluids (saliva, mucus), which may contain pathogenic microorganisms, enter the air.
The most common route of entry of a pathogen into the body is respiratory
The patient is able to spread the infection immediately after the onset of the disease. Microbes can remain in the air for some time. After a healthy person inhales them, they enter the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, take root and can cause the development of certain diseases.
Contact-household way
Microbes can be transmitted from person to person by contact. Often, infection occurs through direct contact (kissing, hugging, shaking hands).
Infectious agents can be transmitted by direct and indirect contact
Also, pathogenic microorganisms are transmitted by indirect contact - through dishes, personal items or hygiene items.
Sexual and perinatal route
Some infections enter the human body through sexual contact, since certain types of pathogens are localized on the mucous membranes of the genital organs.
During fetal development, infectious agents are transmitted through the placental barrier from mother to child. Also, babies can become infected when passing through the birth canal.
Hospital-acquired pneumonia
There is a special type of pneumonia that can get infected within the walls of a medical institution. It develops 48–72 hours after the patient is admitted to the hospital. This applies to cases where the patient did not have symptoms of pneumonia before hospitalization.
When infected inside a hospital, nosocomial pneumonia develops
The incidence of such pneumonia is approximately 20% of the total number of cases. Most often it is observed in people who have undergone surgical interventions in the abdominal or chest cavity and require mechanical ventilation.
In most cases, the causative agents of nosocomial pneumonia are Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella, Escherichia coli or Mycoplasma. Hospital pneumonia is one of the three most common nosocomial infections.
Hospital-acquired pneumonia is much more severe than community-acquired pneumonia, because the microorganisms that cause it are more aggressive. At the same time, it is much more difficult to cure it, since microbes are often insensitive to most antibacterial drugs.
Signs of pneumonia
The following symptoms indicate the development of the disease:
- increased body temperature: often up to 39-40 ° C;
- dry cough: it quickly becomes wet. At the same time, depending on the form of the disease, clear or purulent sputum begins to recede;
- signs of general intoxication: headache, dizziness, chills, drowsiness, fatigue, lack of appetite;
- chest pain.
In some cases, the symptoms of the disease are blurred, and it can be diagnosed only after all the studies have been carried out.
Prevention
It is simply impossible to protect yourself from all infections, but in order to avoid the development of the disease, you must:
- observe the rules of personal hygiene;
- strengthen the immune system, eat right and exercise;
- to refuse from bad habits;
- get vaccinated against typical pathogens;
- treat active diseases in time and prevent them from becoming chronic.
Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene is an effective prevention of infection by contact
Is pneumonia a contagious disease or not? The answer to this question is ambiguous. In most cases, pneumonia is not contagious and is not transmitted from a sick person to others.
At the same time, the pathogenic microorganisms that caused it can easily get on the mucous membranes of other people, and if the immune system does not work at full strength, the development of pathology is quite possible.
Video
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Anna Kozlova Medical journalist About the author
Education: Rostov State Medical University, specialty "General Medicine".
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