[Atypical infection of the respiratory tract and bronchial asthma].

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a serious lower respiratory tract infection associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Among etiologic pathogens, atypical bacteria, including Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophilla are important. The etiologic diagnosis of these infections still remains difficult. This is mainly due to the absence of characteristic clinical findings and the available detection methods. The potential role of atypical bacteria infection in pathogenesis of asthma is a subject of continuing debate. Macrolides are antibiotics with both antimicrobic and anti-inflammatory activities and thus their use in asthmatic patients could lead to reduction of the airways inflammation and therefore improvement of symptoms and pulmonary function. According to Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, there is insufficient evidence to support or to refute the use of macrolides in patients with chronic asthma. The possible role of an association between atypical bacterial infection in antibacterial therapy in the management of asthma and the need for well-designed studies to investigate this is discussed in this article.