📄 Abstract
Pulmonary infections remain diagnostically challenging because radiological appearances frequently overlap across bacterial, viral, mycobacterial and fungal diseases, while microbiological tests vary in sensitivity, turnaround time and specimen dependence. Imaging is therefore most useful when interpreted as a set of probabilistic biomarkers rather than as a stand-alone etiological test. Chest radiography provides rapid assessment of air-space disease and complications; computed tomography (CT) better characterizes distribution, airway involvement, cavitation, nodules and diffuse parenchymal abnormalities; and lung ultrasonography can provide a radiation-free bedside assessment in selected patients. Microbiological diagnosis has expanded from conventional culture toward nucleic-acid amplification tests, multiplex molecular assays and pathogen-specific antigen testing. This review synthesizes how imaging phenotypes can guide specimen selection and microbiological testing, with emphasis on community-acquired pneumonia, tuberculosis, invasive fungal disease and opportunistic infection. Particular attention is given to the limits of imaging specificity, colonization versus infection, false-negative microbiology, antimicrobial exposure and host-dependent imaging variation. An integrated radiology–microbiology workflow is proposed in which clinical context, imaging phenotype, specimen quality and laboratory results are interpreted together. Such integration may improve diagnostic precision, support targeted therapy and facilitate longitudinal monitoring, while avoiding overinterpretation of non-specific imaging findings.
🏷️ Keywords
📚 How to Cite:
Pramod Kumar V, Abhishek Rathod , IMAGING BIOMARKERS OF PULMONARY INFECTIONS: INTEGRATING RADIOLOGICAL PATTERNS WITH MICROBIOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS , Volume 12 , Issue 9, September 2026, EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR) , Pages: 678 - 684 ,