GI Infections Flashcards
What are the main sterile sites of the body?
- Peritoneal space (ascitic fluid)
- Pancreas
- Gall bladder
- Liver
What are the main non-sterile sites of the body?
- Mouth
- Oesophagus
- Stomach
- Small bowel
- Large bowel
Colonisation of body sites;
What is angular cheilitis?
Acute or chronic inflammation of the skin and contiguous labial mucosa at the corners of the mouth.
How does angular cheilitis typically present?
- erythema
- maceration
- scaling
- fissuring
- pain
- lesions are often bilateral
What are the 2 major causes of angular cheilitis? Which organisms can be responsible?
- Excessive moisture and maceration from saliva
- Secondary infection with C albicans or S aureus
Angular cheilitis can be 2ary to infection with which organisms?
- S. aureus
- C. albicans
What are the risk factors for angular cheilitis?
- Older age (typically seen in eldery)
- Dentures (ill-fitting)
- Dry mouth
- Intraoral fungal infection
- Poor oral hygiene
- Thumb sucking/drooling
How does HSV-1 present?
Cold sores
What is hairy leukoplakia? Who is it commonly seen in? What virus is it caused by?
- What –> A white patch on the side of the tongue with a corrugated or hairy appearance
- Who –> Immunocompromised (HIV)
- Virus –> Epstein Barrv virus
What are the 3 major types of dentoalveolar infections?
- Caries (cavity)
- Pulpitis (infection of innermost part of tooth - the pulp)
- Periapical abscesses (abscess at base of tooth following infection)
How can a tooth infection cause;
a) demineralisation of bone?
b) swelling and pain?
a) Acid produced by bacteria is believed to erode the enamel and bone
b) Bacteria move within the tooth and cause inflammation within the pulp, resulting in swelling and acute pain
Common bacteria responsible for dentoalveolar infections?
Oral commensals such as Streptococci and anaerobes
Treatment for caries?
Filling
Treatment for pulpitis?
Root canal
What can excess buildup of plaque beneath the gingivial margin lead to?
Peri-dontal infections
What is the gingival margin?
The terminal edge of gingiva (gums) that surrounds the teeth is known as the gingival margin (marginal gingiva).
What is gingivitis? How does it present?
Inflammation of the gums; red, swollen, painful, bleeding gums
How can gigivitis progress?
- Gingivitis
- Peridontitis
- Periodontal abscess
- Acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis
- Orofacial space infections (severe)!
What is periodonitis?
Progression of gingivitis with progressive loss of dental support structure function. May require antibiotics.
What is a periodontal abscess?
- Focal or diffuse red, fluctuant swelling of the gingiva which is extremely tender to palpation
- Abscesses always communicate with a periodontal pocket from which pus can be readily expressed after probing
- Requires surgical drainage
What is Vincent angina? What is it caused from?
A life-threatening infection of the oral mucosal membranes is also known as trench mouth/acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG).
How does acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG) present?
Tissue appears eroded with superficial gray-ish pseudomembranes.
Risk factors and treatment for peri-dontal infections?
- Risk factors include inadequate oral hygiene
- Treatment includes improved cleaning, antibiotics
What is quinsy? What is it a complication of?
- Quinsy is a peritonsillar abscess –> unilateral swellings of the tonsil.
- The abscess forms between one of your tonsils and the wall of your throat.
- A rare and potentially serious complication of tonsillitis.
Causative organism of peritonsillar abscess?
S. pyogenes (Group B Strep)
Symptoms of quinsy?
- Painful swallowing
- Unilateral sore throat
- Earache
- Muffled voice
- Deviation of uvula towards unaffected side
- Oral airway may be compromised!
Treatment of quinsy?
Drainage and antibiotic management
What is suppurative inflammation?
Suppurative inflammation involves the production of large amounts of pus
Causative organism of acute suppurative parotitis?
S. aureus
What is parotitis?
Inflammation of the parotid glands
Risk factors for acute suppurative parotitis (non mumps)?
Poor oral hygiene, dehydration
Presentation of acute suppurative parotitis?
Sudden onset of swelling from cheek to angle of jaw
Treatment of acute suppurative parotitis?
Drainage and antibiotic management
What is Ludwig’s angina?
- Bilateral infection of the submandibular space
- Aggressive, rapidly spreading cellulitis without lymphadenopathy
Complications of Ludwig’s angina?
Airway obstruction, asphyxia, aspiration pneumonia
What do pretracheal space infections most commonly arise as a consequence of?
- Perforation of the anterior oesophageal wall
- Occasionally through contiguous extension from a retropharyngeal space infection
- As a consequence of prolonged tracheostomy
Clinical presentation of a pretracheal space infection?
- severe dyspnoea
- hoarseness
- dysphagia
- regurgitation of fluids from nose
Where does the pretracheal space lie?
Immediately anterior to the trachea
Treatment of a pretracheal space infection?
drainage and antibiotic management
Where is the prevertebral space located?
In the neck
Where does a prevertebral space infection usually originate from?
Usually continuation of cervical spine infection
Why can parapharyngeal space infections be life threatening?
- Carotid sheath involvement
- Complications: compression on carotid sheath components, airway impingement, septicaemia
What is suppurative jugular thrombophlebitis? What is it also known as?
- Lemierre’s syndrome
- A venous thrombosis due to the infectious involvement of the carotid sheath vessels with bacteria and is seen in association with intravenous catheters or with certain deep neck infections
What is the ‘danger space’?
The danger space is a deep compartment of the head and neck located behind the true retropharyngeal space, extending from the skull base to the mediastinum.
Clinical importance of the danger space?
The connection of the danger space to the mediastinum allows for the spread of infections from the oral cavity to the thoracic cavity.