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The supportive treatment for the symptoms would be mostly the same, but the medications used to directly fight the two different types of lung infections are different. Bacterial infections, including bacterial pneumonia, are treated with antibiotics. Since antibiotics are not effective against viral infections, the right medicines for the viral type of pneumonia might include anti-viral medications but usually not antibiotics.

In both types of infections there can be a superimposed infection of the other type. For example, it is not uncommon for those with serious viral infections of the lungs to also end up with an opportunistic bacterial infection (i.e., one that might not be able to make you sick if it weren't for your already infirm condition), like bronchitis or bacterial pneumonia. Therefore, monitoring to identify any such secondary infections is also part of the treatment of both kinds of pneumonia to be sure that necessary medications are being utilized.

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15y ago

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