Epidemic viral pneumonia.
OBJECTIVE
Two recent viral epidemics producing pneumonitis (severe acute respiratory syndrome and pandemic influenza A H1N1) have highlighted the potential for viral infections to cause respiratory failure with a significant risk of mortality. This review describes these epidemics and other causes of epidemic viral pneumonia.


RESULTS
The recent literature highlights the rapidity with which these emerging viral infections can be characterized and how management strategies, including supportive care, antiviral therapy and infection control precautions, can be rapidly shared and implemented.


CONCLUSIONS
The severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak was too short to allow management protocols to be tested in a research environment. The current 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic is fortunately not associated with as high a mortality rate as the avian influenza A (H5N1), another potential pandemic candidate virus. Prior pandemic planning as well as research planning has allowed a rapid response to this outbreak, with a significant amount of literature generated in a few months. Other common seasonal viruses, such as respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza, as well as previously poorly recognized viruses such as hantavirus, have the ability to cause significant respiratory morbidity and mortality.
Lapinsky
Stephen E
SE
Mount Sinai Hospital and the Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. stephen.lapinsky@utoronto.ca
D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006801:Humans; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology
D000998:Antiviral Agents