Hemophilus influenzae bronchitis and pneumonia.

Hemophilus influenzae is increasingly recognized as an important pathogen in a wide spectrum of diseases in adults. It is often implicated in the infectious exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, and it is a frequent cause of pneumonia in adults. The recent recognition of ampicillin-resistant strains should be a reminder to obtain beta-lactamase or antibiotic susceptibility testing when H. influenzae is isolated in specimens from patients with lower respiratory infections.