A prospective study of the aetiology, associations, clinical features and outcomes of community-acquired pneumonia in children and adults in tropical Australia

Pneumonia is common in Australia and often requires admission to hospital. The germs that causes pneumonia in the southern parts of Australia are well described, but those that cause the disease in tropical Australia are sometimes different. Knowing the germs causing the disease helps doctors choose treatments that are most likely to help patients.

This study aims to identify which germs cause pneumonia in children and adults living in tropical Australia. It will also examine which patient features on arrival to hospital predict who is likely to need more care, improving the early identification of these patients.

This study will include multiple different hospitals across tropical Australia and will include people aged one month and older hospitalised with pneumonia. Multiple different laboratory tests will be performed on blood, sputum, urine and nasal and throat fluid. By including both adults and children from multiple areas across northern Australia, we will be able to identify if any differences exist in the causes of pneumonia between children and adults, Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and people living in different parts of tropical Australia.

The results of this study will help healthcare professionals to choose the most useful tests and know which antibiotics should be prescribed to people with pneumonia in Tropical Australia. Once established, this study can be developed to include people from other countries in South East Asia and the Pacific region.