• In patients admitted to hospital with severe acute bronchitis and/or decompensated comorbidity, the need for antibacterial treatment requires careful clinical judgment

• In patients admitted to hospital with acute exacerbations of COPD, respiratory viral pathogens are identified in the majority

• In patients with COPD, there is an association between lung function and the pattern of respiratory bacterial pathogens isolated. Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella catarrhalis are usually implicated in patients with mild to moderate disease...