What is the infection characterized by cough and fever that affects the lungs?

The choice of pneumonia as the correct answer is based on its characterization as a lung infection that typically presents with a combination of cough and fever. Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the alveoli and can be caused by bacterial, viral, or fungal infections. Common symptoms include a productive cough, fever, chills, difficulty breathing, and chest pain, which collectively indicate an infection in the lungs.

In contrast, bronchitis, while it may involve a cough and sometimes fever, primarily affects the bronchial tubes and does not always cause the same degree of lung involvement or the development of alveolar inflammation typical of pneumonia. Asthma is primarily a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways and while it can produce coughing and wheezing, it is not an infection. Pleurisy involves inflammation of the pleura surrounding the lungs, and while it can be associated with pneumonia and cause chest pain, it does not describe a primary lung infection, nor does it primarily present with cough and fever as its defining characteristics. Therefore, pneumonia is specifically indicated as the infection affecting the lungs that presents with these symptoms.