[Antibiotic therapy of bacterial respiratory tract infections]

Infections of the airways are among the most frequent of inflammatory diseases appropriate for antibacterial therapy. One must differentiate between infections of the upper and lower airways, respectively infections obtained externally, and nosocomial infections. Since a relatively uniform spectrum of microbes can usually be expected, well-planned antibacterial therapy is possible. For nosocomial infections, on-target antibacterial therapy is required. For the various diseases of the airways, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are outlined.