Soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor: An Indicator of Pneumonia Severity in Children -- Detection of Respiratory Tract Pathogens with Molecular Biology Methods -- Classical against Molecular-Genetic Methods for Susceptibility Testing of Antituberculotics -- Does Customer Information Fulfill MEDDEV Criteria in Cases of Product Problems of In Vitro Diagnostics for Infection Testing? -- Sodium and Copeptin Levels in Children with Community Acquired Pneumonia -- Etiological Factors Causing Lower Respiratory Tract Infections Isolated from Hospitalized Patients -- Antibiotic Consumption Pattern in the Neonatal Special Care Unit Before and After Implementation of the Hospital’s Antibiotic Policy -- Respiratory Tract Infections in Children in Primary Healthcare in Poland -- Impact of Updated European Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome on Clinical Outcome of Preterm Infants.

The successful prophylaxis and treatment of ubiquitous respiratory infections is essential for the enhancement of public health. The chapters provide new insights into the biology of causative pathogens, tackle the epidemiological aspects, and present an update on diagnostics, prevention and therapy of infections. The emerging new pathogens and antibiotic resistance of the old ones are discussed. Novel markers of the severity of community acquired pneumonia, which bears high morbidity and mortality, also are presented.