Respiratory Tract Infections

Abstract

Respiratory tract infections are a major reason why children and the elderly seek medical care. These infections are more common in cold‐weather months in locales with temperate climates. Some respiratory tract pathogens, such as rhinoviruses and respiratory syncytial virus, can also be spread by direct contact with mucous membranes, but this mode of transmission is much less common than inhalation. Organisms that are part of the endogenous microbiota of the oropharynx may, under certain conditions, be able to cause clinical disease. Treatment of this infection requires aggressive surgical debridement of the infected tissue in addition to antifungal therapy. The diagnosis of the etiology of lung infection in immunocompromised patients is one of the most daunting in clinical microbiology and infectious disease. The most common comorbidity for lower respiratory tract infections is cigarette smoking, which causes impaired removal of pathogens due to defective mucociliary clearance.