ABSTRACT
Of all categories of diseases that affect the interstitium of the lung in children, infection is the most common. Among the infectious agents that have a tropism for the interstitium of the child’s lung, the viral agents account for the greatest percentage of disease. One specific viral agent may involve several anatomic locations in the individual and analogously one virus may cause a variety of syndromes in the general population even during the same epidemic. On the other hand, however, certain viruses have been characteristically, but not exclusively, associated with specific syndromes over time. Respiratory syncytial virus is probably the most common cause of interstitial lung infection in infancy and early childhood. Although influenza is a common cause of acute interstitial lung disease in children, especially during epidemic years, it is one of the most overused diagnoses for nondescript infectious diseases in both lay and medical circles.
