Question

Which of the following statements are correct about pneumonia?

I. Pneumonia is caused by bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and Salmonella typhi.
II.The disease affects the alveoli of the lungs.
III.The symptoms of pneumonia include fever, chills, cough and headache.

Answer 1

Pneumonia is a bacterial disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae or Haemophilus influenzae. Pneumonia is characterised with accumulation of fluid or pus in the lungs. The pus develops as a result of inflammatory responses against pathogens that attack and destroy the alveoli in the lungs. This results in difficulty in breathing and other symptoms such as cough, fever, chills etc. Hence statements II and III are correct.


Pneumonia spreads by droplet infection. A healthy person acquires the infection by inhaling the droplets released by an infected person through coughing or sneezing. Sharing of objects with an infected person can also lead to disease transmission as these objects will have deposits of the released droplets.

Salmonella typhi is a bacterium that causes typhoid fever in humans. This disease is characterised by sustained fever, weakness, stomach pain, constipation, loss of appetite etc. It spreads through contaminated food and water. Hence statement I is incorrect.