A 45-year-old man presents with a two-week history of a productive cough, fever, and chills. His sputum is rust-colored. What is the likely diagnosis, and how should it be managed?
Rust-colored sputum along with productive cough, fever, and chills is more indicative of pneumonia rather than bronchitis. Pneumonia can sometimes occur as a complication of bronchitis. Management of this patient should involve antibiotic treatment appropriate for community-acquired pneumonia. Further diagnostic tests, including a chest X-ray and sputum culture, should also be performed.