Paediatric critical illness associated with respiratory infection: a single-centre, retrospective cohort study.

The majority of participants had respiratory viruses detected and were treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics. Differences in CRP and viral prevalence were observed between children with different infection syndrome types. M. pneumoniae infection was not rare in school-aged children with pneumonia admitted to the PICU. Attention to antibiotic treatment and rapid diagnostic testing for Mycoplasma in older, critically ill children should be considered to optimise management and avert morbidity and mortality from respiratory infection.