The diagnosis and management of bacterial pneumonias in infants and children.

The majority of pediatric pneumonias are viral in origin, but a bacterial source always must be considered in the differential diagnosis because antibiotic administration may be crucial to the patient's management. There is no gold standard for differentiating between pediatric bacterial and viral pneumonias, but signs and symptoms from the clinical presentation, laboratory tests, and appearance of the chest radiograph can be used to help make the distinction. The most important factors governing which antibiotics to choose when treating a child with bacterial pneumonia are the child's age and whether any underlying illnesses are present. Surgical intervention may be needed in addition to antibiotic therapy if complications develop.