Upper airway viruses and bacteria and clinical outcomes in children with cough

Summary Background: Cough is symptomatic of a broad range of acute and chronic pediatric respiratory illnesses. No studies in children have tested for an extended panel of upper airway respiratory viruses and bacteria to identify whether they predict cough outcomes, irrespective of clinical diagnosis at the time of acute respiratory illness (ARI). We therefore determined whether upper airway microbes independently predicted hospitalization and persistent cough 28‐days later in children presenting with an ARI, including cough as a symptom. Methods: A cohort study of children aged