Infectious Atypical Pneumonia

Infectious atypical pneumonia, also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV). Clinically, it is characterized by fever, headache, muscular soreness, fatigue, dry cough rarely with phlegm, and diarrhea. Most patients experience accompanying pneumonia. In severe cases, the conditions may develop into acute lung injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), or even multiple organ failure that causes death. In China, SARS has been legally listed as one of the class B infectious diseases but is managed as class A infectious diseases, like anthrax and human infection of avian influenza.