Respiratory Tract Infections

Asymptomatic carriage of M. pneumoniae common in children

The bacterium M. pneumoniae is carried at high rates in the upper respiratory tracts of healthy children and usual diagnostic tests cannot differentiate between such asymptomatic carriage and actual respiratory tract infect ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 14, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Immune systems of healthy adults 'remember' germs to which they've never been exposed

It's established dogma that the immune system develops a "memory" of a microbial pathogen, with a correspondingly enhanced readiness to combat that microbe, only upon exposure to it—or to its components though a vaccine. ...

Immunology created Feb 07, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (13) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Bitter taste receptors regulate the upper respiratory defense system, research shows

A new study from a team of researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the Monell Chemical Senses Center, and the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, reveals that a person's ability to taste ...

Medical research created Oct 08, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers spot molecular control switch for preterm lung disorders

(Medical Xpress)—Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have made major discoveries that could lead to new treatments for lung disorders in premature babies. In a mouse study, the team located key molecules ...

Medical research created Mar 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Infection linked to dangerous blood clots in veins and lungs, study shows

Research shows older adults who get infections of any kind – such as urinary, skin, or respiratory tract infections – are nearly three times more likely to be hospitalized for a dangerous blood clot in their deep ...

Cardiology created Apr 03, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Flu and bacteria: Better prognosis for this potentially fatal combination

Scientists from the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna have provided insights into how much harm bacteria can cause to the lung of people having ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Apr 26, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

FDA approves 3 new drugs for type 2 diabetes

(HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration late Friday approved three new medications to help people battle type 2 diabetes.

Medications created Jan 26, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

Black children less likely to be prescribed antibiotics

(HealthDay)—Black children are less likely to be prescribed antibiotics and to be diagnosed with conditions that require antibiotics, even when treated by the same doctor, according to research published ...

Pediatrics created Mar 18, 2013 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Study reveals UK's declining health performance compared to other high income countries over past 20 years

Six decades of universal free health care, the introduction of widespread public health initiatives (e.g., tobacco control, cancer screening, and immunization), and substantial increases in health expenditure have failed ...

Health created Mar 04, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Research suggests transmission of respiratory viruses in utero

The most common cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), can be transferred during pregnancy to an unborn baby, according to Cleveland Clinic Children's ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Apr 18, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Common antibiotic linked to heart problems in patients with lung conditions

The antibiotic clarithromycin – widely used for treating lower respiratory tract infections like pneumonia and acute exacerbations (sudden worsening) of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – may be associated ...

Medications created Mar 21, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

What did we learn from the 2010 California whooping cough epidemic?

Because whooping cough (pertussis) is almost as contagious as measles (affecting ~12-17 individuals with each case), clinicians are required to report cases of this bacterial respiratory tract infection to the state's department ...

Pediatrics created Jul 19, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Study finds association between rare neuromuscular disorder and loss of smell

Changes in the ability to smell and taste can be caused by a simple cold or upper respiratory tract infection, but they may also be among the first signs of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's ...

Neuroscience created Oct 17, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Acid reflux drug does not improve asthma in children

Children without symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux whose asthma was being poorly controlled with anti-inflammatory treatment did not have an improvement in symptoms or lung function with the added treatment of the proton ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Jan 24, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Honey a sweet treatment for kids' night-time cough

(HealthDay) -- Instead of reaching for a commercial medicine when your child is coughing through the night because of a common cold, Israeli researchers suggest giving honey a try.

Pediatrics created Aug 06, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Respiratory tract infection refers to any of a number of infectious diseases involving the respiratory tract. An infection of this type is normally further classified as an upper respiratory tract infection (URI or URTI) or a lower respiratory tract infection (LRI or LRTI). Lower respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, tend to be far more serious conditions than upper respiratory infections, such as the common cold.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Latest Spotlight News

New immune system discovered

(Medical Xpress)—A research team, led by Jeremy Barr, a biology post-doctoral fellow, unveils a new immune system that protects humans and animals from infection.

Brain can be trained in compassion, study shows

Until now, little was scientifically known about the human potential to cultivate compassion—the emotional state of caring for people who are suffering in a way that motivates altruistic behavior.

Hormone levels may provide key to understanding psychological disorders in women

Women at a particular stage in their monthly menstrual cycle may be more vulnerable to some of the psychological side-effects associated with stressful experiences, according to a study from UCL.

Do salamanders hold the solution to regeneration?

Salamanders' immune systems are key to their remarkable ability to regrow limbs, and could also underpin their ability to regenerate spinal cords, brain tissue and even parts of their hearts, scientists have ...

Multiple research teams unable to confirm high-profile Alzheimer's study

Teams of highly respected Alzheimer's researchers failed to replicate what appeared to be breakthrough results for the treatment of this brain disease when they were published last year in the journal Science.

Controlling mood through the motions of mitochondria

(Medical Xpress)—Regulating the distribution of power in neurons is done by a system that makes the national electric grid look simple by comparison. Each neuron has several thousand mitochondria confined ...

Motion quotient: IQ predicted by ability to filter motion (w/ video)

A brief visual task can predict IQ, according to a new study. This surprisingly simple exercise measures the brain's unconscious ability to filter out visual movement. The study shows that individuals whose ...

Brain uses internal 'average voice' prototype to identify who is talking

(Medical Xpress)—The human brain is able to identify individuals' voices by comparing them against an internal 'average voice' prototype, according to neuroscientists.

The compound in the Mediterranean diet that makes cancer cells 'mortal'

New research suggests that a compound abundant in the Mediterranean diet takes away cancer cells' "superpower" to escape death. By altering a very specific step in gene regulation, this compound essentially re-educates cancer ...

Slowing the aging process—only with antibiotics

Swiss scientists reveal the mechanism responsible for aging hidden deep within mitochondria—and dramatically slow it down in worms by administering antibiotics to the young.