Chapter 21: Respiratory System Infections - Tuberculosis + Legionnaire's Flashcards
What bacterium causes Tuberculosis?
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
How is tuberculosis transmitted?
- airborne
- spread through coughing
- remains viable in droplets
What type of infection do infected individuals develop? (2)
- most develop a latent infection with no symptoms
- later in life, it can develop into chronic disease
What are symptoms of tuberculosis? (4)
- progressive weight loss
- chronic coughing
- calcified lesions in lungs called tubercles
- eventual death
How is tuberculosis diagnosed? (2)
- Tuberculin skin test called Mantoux test
- Purified protein is injected into skin and reacts with memory T cell
What type of hypersensitivity is at play during the mantoux test?
type 4
What does the Mantoux test indicate? (3)
- active infection
- previous infection
- previous vaccination
How is tuberculosis treated? (3)
- 6 month regimen of 3-4 antibiotics
- rifampin, isoniazid, streptomycin
- however, antibiotic resistance is a major problem: MDR-TB
What vaccine is used against tuberculosis?
- live attenuated - closely related species
What are the complications from the tuberculosis vaccine? (3)
- can cause disease in immunocompromised patients
- does not always confer effective immunity
- interferes with the mantoux test
What disease causes legionnaire’s disease?
- legionella pneumophila
Where can legionella pneumophila be found?
survives and multiplies inside of macrophages
What are symptoms of legionnaire’s disease? (5)
- dry cough
- fever
- shaking chills
- confusion
- possibly death
How is Legionnaire’s disease transmitted? (3)
- airborne, no person to person transmission
- spread through aerosolized water droplets
- ex. large central AC systems
How is Legionnaire’s disease treated?
antibiotics that penetrate tissues well
