Can an etiologic agent be identified in adults who are hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia: results of a one-year study.

Introduction: Determining the cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains problematic. In this observational study, we systematically applied currently approved diagnostic techniques in patients hospitalized for CAP in order to determine the proportion in which an etiological agent could be identified.

Methods: All patients admitted with findings consistent with CAP were included.