Respiratory infections

Respiratory infections, whether acute or chronic, are extremely frequent in both adults and children, representing an increased economic burden on healthcare systems, morbidity and mortality. These infections can be either community- or hospital-acquired. Both non-immunosuppressed and immunosuppressed patients can develop such health issues, although prevalence is higher in the latter group. In terms of microbial aetiology, the causative pathogen can be viral, bacterial, fungal or parasitic. In this European Respiratory Review ( ERR ) series, the authors review some key issues relating to the aforementioned topics. A new European Respiratory Review series explores respiratory infections