Diseases of the Respiratory Tract - BACTERIAL Flashcards
(39 cards)
Why do smokers have an increased risk of infection?
slower moving cilia, movement of mucus is slowed down
What comprises the upper respiratory tract?
nose, throat, mouth
What comprises the lower respiratory tract?
windpipe, lungs, bronchus. MORE SERIOUS
Give two examples of how respiratory tract pathogens infect.
- avoid being caught up in mucus
- resist phagocytosis by alveolar macrophages (TB)
- survive or multiply in phagocytes
Give 3 examples of bacterial lower respiratory tract infections. NAME OF BACTERIA
- Legionella pneumophila
- Strep pneumoniae
- Mycoplasm (pneumonia in teens)
- Haemophilus influenzae (can cause pneumonia and meningitis)
- Nosocomial pneumonia (hospital acquired G-)
Give 3 examples of viral lower resp. tract infections
- parainfluenza
- adenovirus
- Influenza virus
What kind of patients contract fungal lower resp. tract infections? Give an example
immunocompromised patients e.g. HIV
Aspergillosis
How do patients usually get infected with Nosocomial pneumonia?
- opportunistic infections
- usually patients own flora, inhaled
- e.g. Staph. aureus, some G- like Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- patient often on ventilator
Give 3 symptoms of community acquired pneumonia
fever, chest pain, purulent sputum
What is the main cause of community acquired pneumonia?
Strep. pneumoniae, other organisms aspirated into lungs
What is a tell tale sign of atypical pneumonia?
coughing without the production of sputum
What organisms cause atypical pneumonia?
- mycoplasma
- Chlamydia pneumoniae
- Legionella
Why is Mycoplasma difficult to gram stain? Why can this be difficult in treatment?
no cell wall. antibiotics infect cell wall in bacteria, so lack of cell wall makes difficult to treat.
How does mycoplasma cause infection?
- goes for resp. epithelium and attatches to receptors on surface
- inhibits cilia movement
- allows it to multiply and cause infection
- close envorinment with host cells - PARASITIC
What are the symptoms of Mycoplasma
- most common in 5-15yr olds
- fever
- malaise
- headache
- sore throat
- rash
What is the treatment for Mycoplasma?
erythromycin, tetracycline (no penicillin as no cell wall)
How do we diagnose Mycoplasma?
- difficult to grow as no cell wall, specialized media required
- fluorescent antibodies
- CFT
- IgM latex
- ELISA
Describe Haemophilus influenzae.
-Gram negative coccobacilli
H. influenzae infects what type of people?
young children
What types of infections does H. influenzae cause.
- pneumonia
- meningitis
- arthritis
Give the symptoms of H. influenzae
low grade fever, wheezy cough which may persist for weeks, may produce a rash.
What is the treatment for H. influenzae?
cephalosporins, resistant to penicillin
What processes to diagnose H. influenzae (in the lab)
- grow on chcolate agar
- identify using X and V factors
- latex agglutination and PCR can also be used
What 2 types of chlamydia cause resp. infections?
pneumoniae & psittaci
