Severe viral respiratory infections: are bugs bugging?

Viral respiratory tract infections (RTI) pose a high burden on the youngest members of our society. Several risk factors are known for severe viral respiratory disease. However, a large proportion of the severe RTI cannot be explained by these risk factors. A growing body of evidence shows that the composition of the microbiota has a major influence on the training of both the mucosal and the systemic immune response and can thus potentially determine susceptibility for severe viral infections. In this review, we discuss the current evidence regarding the influence of bacterial colonization on the severity of viral respiratory infections.