Respiratory Infections / Infections of the Respiratory Tract

Clinical information

Infections of the respiratory tract are mainly caused by viruses (e. g. SARS-CoV-2, influenza viruses, adenoviruses, RSV), but also by bacteria (e. g. Legionella, Bordetella pertussis, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae). Both the upper (e. g. nasal mucosa, paranasal sinuses) and the lower respiratory tracts (airways and bronchia) can be affected. The pathogens are mainly transmitted by droplet infection. Signs and symptoms of respiratory infections include fever, cough, headache and joint pain, pharyngitis, sinusitis, bronchitis or pneumonia.

Diagnostics

Since many respiratory pathogens cause similar symptoms, the diseases can usually not be diagnosed based on the clinical image alone. Consequently, laboratory diagnostics are particularly valuable. In most cases, direct pathogen detection (e. g. PCR) is the method of choice for the detection of acute respiratory infections. Especially in severe cases and in persons with an increased risk, prompt laboratory diagnostic pathogen detection is indispensable in order to confirm a diagnosis and take suitable measures. In addition to real-time PCR-based assays for fast, precise nucleic acid detection of individual pathogens, multiplex assays allow to test for numerous pathogens in a single sample in order to determine whether an infection is present and which pathogen is causing it.
Because antibodies are not produced until days or weeks after infection, and because the prevalence increases with age, infection can often only be diagnosed retrospectively by examining a pair of serum samples and detecting the increase in the IgG titer. Serological tests can also contribute to epidemiological surveillance.

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Bordetella pertussis infections

COVID-19 diagnostics

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