Guideline: Management of community-acquired pneumonia in adults

Pneumonia is an acute infection of the lung parenchyma distal to the terminal bronchiole, most commonly bacterial in nature, and associated with clinical and/or radiological evidence of consolidation of part or parts of one or both lungs. It remains a cause of considerable morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Mortality is improved by early initiation of antibiotics to which the causative organism(s) are susceptible, and adversely affected by delayed or inappropriate initial therapy.