[The impact of viruses in lower respiratory tract infections of the adult. Part III: therapy and prevention].

In industrialized countries respiratory tract infections are one of the most common reasons for medical consultations. It is assumed that almost one third of these infections include the lower respiratory tract (LRTI), e. g. acute bronchitis, acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), community- or hospital-acquired pneumonia and influenza. Due to a lack of sufficient and valid investigations to prove the presence of respiratory viruses their impact in the pathogenesis of lower respiratory tract infection has probably been underestimated for a long time. Therefore, there might have been many cases of unnecessary antibiotic treatment, especially in cases of acute bronchitis or acute exacerbations of COPD, because of an assumed bacteriological cause. With the introduction of more sensitive investigational procedures, such as polymerase chain reaction, it is possible to sufficiently prove respiratory viruses and therefore illuminate their role in the pathogenesis of lower respiratory tract infections of the adult. We have reviewed the current literature on the impact of viruses in lower respiratory tract infections to elucidate the role of viruses in the pathogenesis of lower respiratory tract infections. The preceding parts of this series provided an introduction to the frequently found viruses, pathogenesis, and diagnostic procedures (part I) as well as common viral infections of the lower respiratory tract (part II). The present 3 (rd) part deals with therapy for and prevention of viral LRTI.