Table 6.
Microbial agents causing VAP
| Common Causes | Rare/Unusual Causes |
|---|---|
| Gram-positive cocci | Gram-positive bacilli |
| Staphylococcus aureus | Corynebacterium spp (diphtheroids) |
| Streptococcus pneumoniae | Listeria monocytogenes |
| Other streptococci | Nocardia spp |
| Coagulase-negative staphylococci | Aerobic gram-negative bacilli |
| Enterococci | Serratia spp |
| Aerobic gram-negative bacilli | Hafnia alvei |
| Enteric gram-negative bacilli | Stenotrophomonas maltophilia |
| Escherichia coli | Burkholderia cepacia |
| Klebsiella spp | Gram-negative cocci |
| Enterobacter spp | Neisseria spp |
| Proteus spp | Moraxella spp |
| Citrobacter spp | Anaerobic bacteria |
| Nonfermentative | Bacilli |
| Gram-negative bacilli | Bacteroides spp |
| Pseudomonas spp | Fusobacterium spp |
| Acinetobacter spp | Prevotella spp |
| Haemophilus influenzae | Actinomyces spp |
| Fungi | Cocci |
| Candida spp | Veillonella spp |
| Peptostreptococci | |
| Atypical bacteria | |
| Legionella spp | |
| Mycoplasma pneumoniae | |
| Chlamydia pneumoniae | |
| Fungi | |
| Aspergillus spp and other molds | |
| Pneumocystis jiroveci | |
| Viruses | |
| Influenza and other respiratory viruses | |
| Herpes simplex virus | |
| Cytomegalovirus | |
| Miscellaneous causes | |
| Mycobacterium tuberculosis |
From Joseph NM, Sistla S, Dutta TK, et al. Ventilator-associated pneumonia: a review. Eur J Intern Med 2010;21:360–8; with permission.