Acute laryngotracheobronchitis is necessarily an acute inflammation of the larynx, trachea and bronchi; but because as commonly employed the term refers to a serious involvement of these organs characterized by evident swelling of the mucosa and submucosa and by the formation of a tough, resinous, diphtheria-like exudate, with the production of dangerous dyspnea, various other appellations have been suggested. These, however, have usually been concerned with the etiologic factor, and since this is still undetermined, no definite progress has been made toward a suitable term.
ETIOLOGY
Almost all the pyogenic organisms responsible for acute infections of the upper respiratory tract have been variously reported as the causative agent of laryngotracheobronchitis, but it is generally supposed that the streptococcus is the most frequent agent. Gittins1 observed a mixed flora in the majority of his cases. Lynch2 reported 5 cases in 4 of which pure cultures of Staphylococcus albus were