[Atypical pneumonia, etiology and possibilities for the diagnosis (author's transl)].

Beginning with the antimicrobial chemotherapy a decrease in the incidence of bacterial pneumonias is accompanied by a relative increase in the incidence of the so-called atypical pneumonia. This disease syndrome is predominantly caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia psittaci, Coxiella burneti and various viruses. In addition, bacteria which are usually involved in lobar pneumonia may occasionally cause atypical pneumonias. The present publication is concerned with the most frequently occurring causative agents of atypical pneumonia, the epidemiology of the disease and the possibilities for the diagnosis.