in the course of the disease antimicrobial treatment and prevention and along with new evidence for the use of long-term antibiotics in a selected group of patients with COPD and frequent exacerbations. Finally, there are a number of chapters dedicated to bronchiectasis, once considered an orphan lung disease. In contrast, there is an increased interest in the aetiology, natural history and treatment of bronchiectasis, either as an isolated disease or as a complication of another respiratory condition, such as COPD. The innovative administration of antibiotics by inhalation may represent an advance in the treatment of CBI in bronchiectasis, and the development of new formulations of old antibiotics to be administered by this route will provide a new therapeutic option for some of the most difficult-to-treat severe patients with bronchial infections. We are sure that clinicians will find this ERM’s summary of the existing evidence within this field, alongside some of the most relevant and new information that has arisen to date, as a great aid to them in improving their practice and care for patients with these very frequent respiratory problems. x