microbial characterization of patients with community-acquired pneumonia by targeted next-generation sequencing technology

Background: community-acquired pneumonia (cap) has a complex and regionally varying pathogen distribution, and traditional testing methods may underestimate mixed infections and difficult-to-cultivate pathogens. objectives: in this study, we analyzed the microbial characteristics of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (balf) from cap patients using targeted next-generation sequencing (tngs) to provide a basis for optimizing pathogenic diagnosis and individualized treatment. methods: a retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data from 50 cap patients admitted to zibo first hospital in 2024. patient information collected included baseline characteristics, laboratory findings, and imaging data [computed tomography (ct)]. chi-square analysis, mann–whitney u test, and stepwise regression were used to evaluate associations between clinical features and microbial characterization. results: among the 50 cap patients, 15 (30%) were female and 35 (70%) were male. klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 15), epstein-barr virus (ebv) (n = 14), and candida albicans (n = 14) were among the most frequently detected microorganisms. strong collinearity (r > 0.80, p < 0.05) was observed between the following microbial pairs: proteus mirabilis and serratia marcescens, enterovirus d68 and streptococcus pneumoniae, aspergillus versicolor and moraxella catarrhalis, haemophilus influenzae and s. intermedius. female patients exhibited a significantly higher rate of staphylococcus aureus infection compared to male patients (u = 192.50, z = -3.15, p = 0.002). regression analysis indicated that patient age had a significant positive effect on the diversity of microbial infections (β = 0.052, t = 3.948, p < 0.001). conclusions:klebsiella pneumoniae, ebv, and c. albicans may play important roles in cap. older cap patients are more likely to harbor a broader spectrum of viral and fungal pathogens, highlighting the need for heightened clinical attention in this population.