Respiratory infections include a diverse group of bacterial, viral, and fungal infections of upper and lower respiratory systems. Some of them have been known for a long time, such as tuberculosis and influenza, whereas others have recently emerged, such as coronoviral infections SARS, MERS, and human bocaviruses. Despite the presence of advanced hospital techniques and discovery of new an- timicrobial drugs, respiratory infections are still associated with significant mortality and morbidity worldwide. The high healthcare importance of this group of diseases makes it necessary to have a well-structured source of up-to-date scientific information, discussing existent clinical and diagnostic guidelines as well as new and perspective trends in the diagnosis, treatment, and prophylaxis of respira- tory system infections.

The present book has been divided into three sections according to the types of respiratory patho- gens. The first section contain reviews on the most common and epidemiologically important respira- tory viruses, such as influenza virus, severe acute respiratory system coronavirus, recently discovered Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus and human bocavirus.

The second section is devoted to the respiratory infections caused by bacterial and fungal pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, multidrug resistant bacteria, such as metallo beta lactamase producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and fungal pathogens including Aspergillus spp., Pneumocystis jirovecii, and other fungi. Special attention has been paid to the questions of circulation of respiratory pathogens during mass gatherings, connection between indoor air pollution and respiratory diseases, association of allergic respiratory diseases with the presence of parasites, and to respiratory infections in patients with hematological malignancies.

The third section of this book discusses treatment approaches against different types of bacterial infections of lower respiratory tract. This section reviews classical antimicrobial and phytomedical ap- proaches as well as application of nanotechnology against respiratory pathogens.

This book would be very useful for graduate and postgraduate students, researchers, university teachers, scientists, medical practitioners, and specialists from pharmaceutical and laboratory diagnos- tic companies