Viral pneumonia is a pneumonia caused by a virus. Pneumonia is an infection that causes inflammation in one or both of the lungs. The pulmonary alveoli fill with fluid or pus making it difficult to breathe. Pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. Viruses are the most common cause of pneumonia in children, while in adults bacteria are a more common cause. Signs and symptoms Symptoms of viral pneumonia include fever, non-productive cough, runny nose, and systemic symptoms (e.g. myalgia, headache). Different viruses cause different symptoms. Diagnosis Diagnosis, like with any infection, relies on the detection of the infectious cause. With viral pneumonia, samples are taken from the upper and/or lower respiratory tracts. The samples can then be run through polymerase chain reaction (PCR), allowing for amplification of the virus as that allows better detection if present in the sample. Other ways for a diagnosis to be obtained is by ordering a chest x-ray, blood tests, pulse oximetry, and a medical/family history to see if there are any known risks or previous exposures to a person with viral pneumonia. If the person is in serious condition and in the hospital there are more invasive studies that can be run to diagnosis the person. Cause Common causes of viral pneumonia are: Influenza virus A and B Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) Human parainfluenza viruses (in children) Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Rarer viruses that commonly result in pneumonia include: Adenoviruses (in military recruits) Metapneumovirus Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) Middle East respiratory syndrome virus (MERS-CoV) Hantaviruses Viruses that primarily cause other diseases, but sometimes cause pneumonia include: Herpes simplex virus (HSV), mainly in newborns or young children Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) Measles virus Rubella virus Cytomegalovirus (CMV), mainly in people with immune system problems Smallpox virus Dengue virus The most commonly identified agents in children are respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, human metapneumovirus, human bocavirus, and parainfluenza viruses. History In the pre-antibiotic age, pneumonias had been treated with specific anti-serums of highly variable therapeutic effect and undesirable side-effects (a practice eliminated by the advent of sulfamides in 1936 and the beginning availability of penicillin in the 1940s). Viral pneumonia was first described by Hobart Reimann in 1938, in an article published by JAMA, An Acute Infection of the Respiratory Tract with Atypical Pneumonia: a disease entity probably caused by a filtrable virus. Reimann, Chairman of the Department of