PostInfluenza bacterial infections: Epidemiology, mechanistic insights and emerging treatment approaches.

Influenza virus is one of the most common viruses for respiratory tract infections. Postinfluenza bacterial infections can lead to severe pneumonia and significantly increase the mortality during influenza outbreaks. This review addresses the differences between primary influenza viral infection and postinfluenza bacterial infection and explores the underlying mechanisms of the secondary infection. The mechanisms entail the disruption of the lung barrier and the host immune system by influenza virus, as well as an increase in the availability of nutrients necessary for bacterial proliferation, which collectively lead to increased susceptibility to secondary infections. This review also discusses the current common clinical and novel therapeutic strategies to provide new insights for clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies.