Epidemiology and Clinical Characteristics of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Hospitalized Children

This study used an expanded diagnostic armamentarium to define the broad spectrum of pathogens that cause pneumonia in hospitalized children. The data confirm the importance of S pneumoniae and the frequent occurrence of bacterial and viral coinfections in children with pneumonia. These findings will facilitate age-appropriate antibiotic selection and future evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine as well as other candidate vaccines.