Lecture 3: Fever and cough (URTI)

Question 1

Respiratory tract infections are:

Answer 1

• very common - particularly in pockets due to the ease of spread
• Seen as trivial infections that our immune system is good at dealing with
• more common in children than adults
• vast range of conditions and how common these are

Question 2

Streptococcus pyogenes causes?

Answer 2

Only found in the pharynx and causes a sore throat - more severe and more localised than a viral infection causing a sore throat.

Question 3

Streptococcus pneumoniae can cause?

Answer 3

Infection of the middle ear - otitis media

Infection of the maxillary sinus - sinusitis

Infection in the lung parenchyma - pneumonia

Infection of the trachea and bronchi - bronchitis

BUT NOT PHARYNGITIS

Question 4

Difference between bacterial and viral infections?

Answer 4

Bacterial infections like streptococcus pyogenes is much more focal/isolated and severe (fever, pain, dysphagia, adenopathy). Viral infections are more general infection or nose, sinuses, throat etc.

(eg. runny nose and sore throat is more liekly to be viral)

There is a large number or viral infections that don’t need to be differentiated.

Question 5

What is GAS and why do we care about it so much? (in a no homo kinda way ofc)

Answer 5

Group A (beta haemolytic) streptococcus

• Asymptomatic colonisation of pharynx in approx 16% of population (up to 30% in some nz studies)
• For months post infection leading to repeated episodes of infection, risk of rheumatic fever
• Is 100% susceptable to penecillin.

Question 6

Do we treat all people with GAS positive swabs?

Answer 6

Only if there is risk factors for rhematic fever. If there is not then there is basically the same outline of getting better and we just treat with pain relief for the sore throat.

Question 7

Rhinosinusitis?

Answer 7

Runny nose

• Can lead to facial congestion or fullness, pain or pressure as well as reduced or absent smell along with a fever.
• Colds are nose and adjecnt sinus infections almost always caused by viral infections.

Question 8

Rhinoviruses? transmission, symptoms, timeframe?

Answer 8

• Transmitted by respiratory droplets and contaminate surfaces
• Incubation period of 1-4 days
• Infection of nose and sinuses, nasal mucosa = sneezing, cough, sore throat, minor fever, muscle aches
• Recovery in 1-2 weeks