Table 3.

 Infective causes of rhinitis

Infective agent type	Examples of infective agent	Caused disease pattern
Viruses	Common cold viruses, e.g. rhinovirus, coronaviruses, RSV, etc.	Sinus changes on CT scan remain for up to 6 weeks after the infection [214] 0.5–2% become superinfected by bacteria [215] ‘Colds’ may exacerbate asthma and COPD [216, 217] Children average 6–8 ‘colds’ per year [218]
Bacteria	Streptococcus, Haemophilus, Moraxella, Staphylococcus, Mycobacteria	Acute infection causes nasal obstruction, facial pain, crusting, purulent discharge Can progress to rhinosinusitis
Fungi and other opportunistic infections	Aspergillus	Rarely cause symptoms; mainly affect immuno‐suppressed individuals [219]

COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CT, computed tomography; RSV, respiratory syncytial virus.