Community-acquired pneumonia in children: current challenges and future directions

Pneumonia is a commonly encountered illness and the leading cause of death in children under 5 years of age. Our current management strategies remain less than optimal in part because we do not have adequate tools to determine etiology, classify patients and predict their outcomes. Studies in the last decade have demonstrated that viruses are commonly detected in children with pneumonia, but on many occasions this is not sufficient to establish a clear etiologic diagnosis since bacterial coinfection cannot be excluded. Gene expression profile analysis provides a comprehensive assessment of the host response to infection. Preliminary data suggest that transcriptional profile analysis and measurement of Molecular Distance to Health (MDTH) scores allows more precise patient classification than current diagnostic techniques and laboratory markers. Application of this tool to the evaluation of children with pneumonia may enhance our clinical decision making process and ultimately improve patient outcomes.