The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2005 ranked infections as
the leading global burden of disease and the leading cause of
mortality in children. Acute respiratory infections are the leading
infectious cause of death in all ages (fig. 3), worldwide13, 14. Current
key community and hospital bacterial disease burdens include
paediatric infections and multiple drug resistance in both Grampositive
and Gram‐negative organisms13‐15. An increasing prevalence
of antibiotic resistance has led to the progressive decrease in the
effectiveness of narrow‐spectrum agents and to an increase in
difficult‐to‐treat infections16. More than ever, selection of the most
appropriate antibiotic therapy has become a challenge for
clinicians17.