Organisms That Infect the Respiratory System

A set of vocabulary flashcards detailing various bacterial, viral, and fungal organisms that infect the respiratory system and their associated diseases.

Streptococcus pneumoniae

Most common cause of pneumonia; streptococcal pneumonia

Haemophilus influenzae

Pneumonia, especially in debilitated patients

Klebsiella pneumoniae

Pneumonia in elderly and debilitated patients

Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Mild pneumonia, usually in young adults and children; "walking pneumonia"

Legionella pneumophila

Legionellosis (Legionnaire disease); respiratory disease spread through water sources, such as air conditioners, pools, humidifiers

Chlamydia psittaci

Psittacosis (ornithosis); carried by birds

Streptococcus pyogenes

"Strep throat," scarlet fever

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis

Bordetella pertussis

Pertussis (whooping cough)

Corynebacterium diphtheriae

Diphtheria

Rhinoviruses

Major cause of common cold; also caused by coronaviruses, adenoviruses, and others

Influenzavirus

Influenza

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

Common cause of respiratory disease in infants

SARS coronavirus

Severe acute respiratory syndrome; highly infectious disease that appeared in 2003 and spreads from small mammals to humans

Hantavirus

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS); spread by inhalation of virus released from dried rodent droppings

Histoplasma capsulatum

Histoplasmosis; spread by airborne spores

Coccidioides immitis

Coccidioidomycosis (valley fever, San Joaquin fever); found in dry, alkaline soils

Blastomyces dermatitidis

Blastomycosis; rare but often fatal fungal disease

Pneumocystis jirovecii (formerly carinii)

Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP); seen in immunocompromised hosts