Acute Respiratory Infections in Children

Abstract

In the first month of life, most respiratory disorders are not infectious. But bacteria and viruses may be transmitted from the mother's bloodstream or vagina or from the nursery. In children a month to a year old, bronchiolitis is the most common infection of the lower respiratory tract requiring hospitalization. Many agents infect the lungs of older children, but respiroviruses and Mycoplasma pneumoniae are the most common.