INTRODUCTION: We aimed to compare the early clinical manifestations, laboratory results and chest computed tomography (CT) images of COVID-19 patients with those of other community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients to differentiate CAP from COVID-19 before reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results are obtained. METHODS: The clinical and laboratory data and chest CT images of 51 patients were assessed in a fever observation ward for evidence of COVID-19 between January and February 2020. RESULTS: 24 patients had laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, whereas 27 individuals had negative results. No statistical difference in clinical features was found between COVID-19 and CAP patients, except for diarrhoea. There was a significant difference in lymphocyte and eosinophil counts between COVID-19 and CAP patients. In total, 22 (91.67%) COVID-19 patients had bilateral involvement and multiple lesions according to their lung CT images; the left lower lobe (87.50%) and right lower lobe (95.83%) were affected most often, and all lesions were located in the peripheral zones of the lung. The most common CT feature of COVID-19 was ground-glass opacity, found in 95.83% of patients, compared to 66.67% of CAP patients. CONCLUSION Diarrhoea, lymphocyte counts, eosinophil counts and CT findings (e.g. ground-glass opacity) could help to distinguish COVID-19 from CAP at an early stage of infection, based on findings from our fever observation ward.
COVID-19/diagnostic imaging* ; China ; Community-Acquired Infections/diagnostic imaging* ; Diarrhea/pathology* ; Fever ; Humans ; Lung/diagnostic imaging* ; Retrospective Studies ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods*

In the era of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, imported COVID-19 cases pose great challenges to many countries. Chest CT examination is considered to be complementary to nucleic acid test for COVID-19 detection and diagnosis. We report the first community infected COVID-19 patient by an imported case in Beijing, which manifested as nodular lesions on chest CT imaging at the early stage. Deep Learning (DL)-based diagnostic systems quantitatively monitored the progress of pulmonary lesions in 6 days and timely made alert for suspected pneumonia, so that prompt medical isolation was taken. The patient was confirmed as COVID-19 case after nucleic acid test, for which the community transmission was prevented timely. The roles of DL-assisted diagnosis in helping radiologists screening suspected COVID cases were discussed.
Adult ; Beijing ; COVID-19/diagnostic imaging* ; COVID-19 Testing/methods* ; Community-Acquired Infections/diagnostic imaging* ; Deep Learning ; Humans ; Lung/diagnostic imaging* ; Male ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods*

Child ; Community-Acquired Infections ; complications ; microbiology ; Epidural Abscess ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology ; microbiology ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; pathogenicity ; Staphylococcal Infections ; complications ; microbiology

BACKGROUNDLegionella is an important community-acquired pneumonia pathogen. Although the elderly are especially susceptible to Legionella, few studies have looked at comparative radiographic features of Legionella pneumonia in this population. The aim of this study was to explore the chest radiographic characteristics of community-acquired Legionella pneumonia in the elderly.

METHODSSerial chest radiographs obtained in 34 patients hospitalized with serologically proven Legionella pneumonia were retrospectively reviewed. Chest X-ray features of an aged group of ≥ 65 years were assessed and compared with a non-aged group of <65 years old with regard to initial patterns and distributions of pulmonary abnormalities, accompanying signs, and progression.

RESULTSThe most common initial presentation was a patchy alveolar infiltrate involving a single lobe, most often the lower lobe. There was no middle or lingular lobe involvement in the aged group patients, but bilateral pleural effusion was significantly more common in this group. In the aged group patients, radiographic progression following adequate therapy, despite a clinical response, was more often noted and the radiographs were less likely to have returned to the premorbid state at discharge, but the differences were not significant between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONThe discrepancy between imaging findings and clinical symptoms seems more prominent in community-acquired Legionella pneumonia in the elderly.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Community-Acquired Infections ; diagnostic imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Legionella ; pathogenicity ; Legionnaires' Disease ; diagnostic imaging ; Lung ; diagnostic imaging ; microbiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia ; diagnostic imaging ; Radiography ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult