Infections Flashcards
Infections
What is glandular fever also known as?
Infective mononucleosis
What is the most common cause of infective mononucleosis?
EBV
What proportion of people have had infective mononucleosis?
90-95% of world population
What is the classic triad of infective mononucleosis?
Lymphadenopathy
Pharyngitis
Fever
How is infective mononucleosis transmitted?
EBV most commonly spread by saliva/ respiratory droplets. other bodily fluids: Sexual transmission Blood products organ transplant
How may infective mononucleosis present?
Fever 1-2 weeks Hepatosplenomegaly (jaundice) Pharyngitis (Tonsillar Exudates) Lymphadenopathy (Posterior Cervical Nodes) Photophobia, cough, fatigue, headache
What are the investigations for infective mononucleosis? What would you see?
FBC - Lymphocytosis (highest in week 2-3)
Blood film - Atypical lymphocytosis
Heterophile antibodies- Monospot test
EBV specific antibodies (high sensitivity)
Real time PCR - EBV DNA detection
Throat swab to exclude Group A Strep (Streptococcus pyogenes)
What are the three EBV specific antibodies measured?
EBV Viral capsid antigen (VCA) IgM
EBV VCA IgG
Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen (EBNA) appears 6-12 weeks after onset of symptoms
What EBV specific receptors will be seen in a healthy Pt without EBV?
- ve VCA IgM
- ve VCA IgG
- ve EBNA IgG
What EBV specific receptors will be seen a Pt with early infective mononucleosis?
+ve VCA IgM
- ve VCA IgG
- ve EBNA IgG
What EBV specific receptors will be seen a Pt with acute infective mononucleosis?
+ve VCA IgM
+ve VCA IgG
-ve EBNA IgG
What EBV specific receptors will be seen a Pt with a history of infective mononucleosis?
-ve VCA IgM
+ve VCA IgG
+ve EBNA IgG
What is the management for a Pt with infective mononucleosis?
Supportive care - Paracetamol or Ibuprofen (anti inflammatory + analgesics)
Corticosteroids may be indicated for severe cases (e.g. haemolytic anaemia, severe tonsillar swelling, obstructive pharyngitis).
Why should you not give aspirin to children?
Risk of developing Reye’s syndrome
Causes swelling in the liver and brain
What are the two conditions caused by varicella zoster infections?
Chicken pox (aka varicella) Shingles (aka herpes zoster)
What are the characteristics of varicella?
Fever
Malaise
Generalised pruritic vesicular rash
What are the characteristics of herpes zoster?
Reactivation of VZV
Dermatomal distribution of rash
What are the risk factors for a VZV infection?
> 50 yrs or child
HIV +ve
Chronic corticosteroid use
aka any form of immunosuppression
What are the investigations for a VZV infection?
Clincial diagnosis
Can consider PCR, viral culture, ELISA
What is the management for varicella?
Supportive care
Paracetamol
Diphenhydramine (antihistamine)
Avoid aspirin and NSAIDs
What is the management for HSV ?
Antiviral therapy:
1st line- famciclovir/valaciclovir
2nd line- acyclovir
What are the complications of VZV? (MOPS)
Meningoencephalitis
Ocular complications
Peripheral nerve palsy
Spinal cord myelitis
What can a HSV1 infection cause?
Herpes labialis (cold sores)
Genital herpes
HSV encephalitis
What can a HSV2 infection cause?
Genital herpes
How may a HSV1 infection present?
Gingivostomatitis, cold sores – ulcers filled with yellow slough near the mouth
Herpetic whitlow – vesicle in finger
Eczema herpeticum – HSV infection on eczematous skin
Herpes simplex meningitis – rare, self-limiting
Systemic infection – fever, sore throat, lymphadenopathy, pneumonitis, and hepatitis
Herpes simplex encephalitis - fever, fits, headaches, odd behaviour, dysphasia, hemiparesis
keratoconjunctivitis: Epiphoria (watering eyes), photophobia
How may a HSV2 infection present in a male?
Vesicles on shaft or glands Proctitis with discharge Rectal pain Tenesmus Constipation Impotence
How may a HSV2 infection present in a female?
Genital herpes (Chronic-life long) flu-like prodrome vesicles/papules around genitals, anus Shallow ulcers Urethral discharge Dysuria Fever and malaise
What are the investigations for HSV infections?
Usually clinical diagnosis
Viral culture
HSV PCR
What type of virus is HIV caused by and what cells does it infect?
Retrovirus
Human lymphocytes/macrophages
What are the routes of HIV transmission?
Sexual contact Before birth During delivery Breast feeding IVDU Blood transfusion (rare)
What are the 3 stages of HIV infection?
- Primary- seroconversion (4-8 weeks)
- Asymptomatic (18 months –> 15yrs)
- AIDS-related complex (
Think 4 Fs- Flu –> Fine –> falling CD4 –> final crisis
What is the primary HIV stage?
Seroconversion:
4-8 weeks post infection
self-limiting – fever, night sweats, generalized lymphadenopathy, sore throat, oral ulcers, rash, myalgia, headache, encephalitis, diarrhoea
What is the asymptomatic HIV stage?
Apparently well
some patients may have persistent lymphadenopathy (>1 cm nodes, at 2 extrainguinal sites for >3 months).
Progressive minor symptoms, e.g. rash, oral thrush, weight loss, malaise.
CD4 <400x10^6
What is the AIDS-related complex HIV stage?
Syndrome of secondary diseases reflecting severe immunodeficiency
…or direct effect of HIV infection
CD4 <200x10^6
What is the cause of oral candidiasis?
Fungal candida infection
Due to immunosuppression
What is the cause of hairy leukoplakia?
Triggered by EBV
Occurs in HIV-positive patients, organ transplant recipients.
What is the cause of Kaposi’s sarcoma?
HHV-8
AIDS-defining condition (opportunistic infections and cancers that are life-threatening in a person with HIV.)
What are the investigations for HIV?
ELISA Serum HIV rapid test Sample buccal saliva HIV PCR CD4 count
What are some common pathogens that cause tonsillitis?
Rhinovirus Coronavirus Adenovirus Beta-haemolytic Strep (pyogenes) Mycoplasma pneumoniae Neisseria gonorrhoea
What are the features of tonsillitis?
Pain on swallowing Fever Tonsillar exudate Sudden onset sore throat Tonsillar erythema Tonsillar enlargement Anterior cervical lymphadenopathy
What are the investigations for tonsillitis?
Throat culture
Rapid streptococcal antigen test
What are the common locations of candidiasis?
Mouth
Genitals
What is systemic candidiasis?
Acute disseminated candidiasis to blood, pleura and peritoneal fluid
Associated with fever, hypotension and leukocytosis
What are the risk factors for candidiasis?
HIV Malnutrition Diabetes Malignancy Chemotherapy/radiotherapy Other forms of immunosuppression
What are the investigations for candidiasis?
Superficial smear for microscopy
Urinalysis
Random/fasting glucose
What are the pathogens that cause the common cold?
Rhinoviruses (50%) Coronavirus (10-15%) Influenza (5-15%) Parainfluenza (5%) Respiratory syncytial virus (5%)
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Haemophilus influenzae
Moraxella catarrhalis
What is an abscess?
Collection of pus that has built up within a tissue, organ or confined space walled off by fibrosis.
What are the features of an abscess?
Erythema Hot Oedema Pain Loss of function Fever Systemically unwell
What is the investigation for an abscess?
Clinical diagnosis
What is the management for an abscess?
Incision and drainage
Only give antibiotics if severe eg:
Sepsis, cellulitis, multiple sites of infection
What is Bartholin’s abscess?
A build up of pus in one of Bartholin’s glands, found on each side of the vaginal opening
What is Quinsy’s abscess?
A build up of pus between one of the tonsils and the wall of the throat
What is a pilonidal abscess?
A build up of pus in the skin of the cleft of the buttock
What are the common causes of meningitis?
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Neisseria meningitidis
Haemophilus influenza type B
What is a common cause of encephalitis?
HSV-1
What are the features of meningitis?
Stiff neck
Photophobia
Non-blanching rash
What are the features of encephalitis?
Altered state of consciousness Seizures Personality change Cranial nerve palsies Speech problems Motor and sensory deficit
What are the investigations of meningitis?
LP if there are no clinical features of raised ICP
What is the management for meningitis?
SECONDARY CARE
- Empirical IV Abx within 1 hour of presentation (immediately after blood cultures + LP)
- ceftriaxone/cefotaxime +/- vancomycin
(if >60/immunocompromised also add amoxicillin)
PRIMARY CARE
- Urgent hospital transfer
- IM/IV benzylpenicillin
or - ceftriaxone/cefotaxime
What is Brudzinski’s sign?
Neck flexion causes hip and knee to flex
What is Kernig’s sign?
Cannot straighten leg when hip is at 90 degrees
What does the following CSF sample show?
Appearance- clear WCC- low Protein- normal Glucose- normal Gram stain- NA
Normal CSF
What does the following CSF sample show?
Appearance- turbid WCC- high neutrophil Protein- high Glucose- low Gram stain- positive
Gram positive bacterial meningitis
eg. Streptococcus pneumoniae
What does the following CSF sample show?
Appearance- turbid WCC- high neutrophil Protein- high Glucose- low Gram stain- negative
Gram negative bacterial meningitis
eg. Neisseria meningitidis
What does the following CSF sample show?
Appearance- clear/cloudy WCC- high lymphocyte Protein- raised Glucose- normal Gram stain- NA
Viral meningitis
What does the following CSF sample show?
Appearance- clear/cloudy WCC- high lymphocytes Protein- raised Glucose- low Gram stain- NA
TB/Fungal meningitis
What further investigation could be done to differentiate between a TB and fungal meningitis?
Ziehl-Neeslon stain- TB
India ink stain- fungal
What are the risk factors for infective endocarditis?
Rheumatic heart disease Hx Age-related valvular degeneration Prosthetic valve (S. epidermidis) IVDU (Staph. aureus) Dental procedures (S. viridans)
What are the investigations and management for infective endocarditis?
3 blood cultures at least 1hr apart within 24hrs
Urgent echo
Broad spec antibiotics
Which infections can cause gastroenteritis with diarrhoea?
Campylobacter/C difficile
Bacillus cereus
E. coli
Vibrio cholera
Staph aureus
Which infections can cause gastroenteritis with dysentery?
CHESS
Campylobacter/C difficile Haemorrhagic E. coli Entamoeba histolytica Shigella Salmonella
What are the investigations for gasteroenteritis?
FBC
Stool MC+S
How is Hep A and E transmitted?
Faecal-oral route
What is the management for Hep A and E?
Supportive care
What are the clinical features of Hep B?
Flu-like prodrome Rash Lymphadenopathy RUQ pain Jaundice
What are the risk factors for Hep B?
Unprotected sex
MSM
IVDU
Blood transfusion
What is the management for Hep B?
Acute- supportive
Chronic- peginterferon alpha, Tenofovir
Can you get Hep D without Hep B?
No
What is the main worry for Hep B/C?
Risk of HCC
What are the common pathogens of UTIs?
Proteus mirabilis (complicated UTI)
Escherichia coli
Enterococcus faecalis
Staphylococcus saprophyticus (young, sexually active)
Klebsiella pneumoniae
What are the investigations for a UTI?
Dipstick urinalysis- positive nitrates +/- leukocytes
Urine microscopy- leukocytes
Urine MC&S
Abdo USS- exclude urinary tract obstruction or renal stones
What is the management for a UTI?
Trimethoprim
What are the five types of malaria?
Plasmodium falciparum Plasmodium vivax Plasmodium ovale Plasmodium malariae Plasmodium knowlesi
What are the characteristics of Plasmodium flaciparum?
Most threatening Common in tropical regions: Sub-Saharan Africa South east Asia Oceania Amazon basis of South America
What are the features of malaria?
Headache Weakness Myalgia Arthralgia Anorexia Diarrhoea Fever - Characteristic paroxysms of chills and rigors followed by fever and sweats may be described
What are the investigations for malaria?
Giemsa-stained thick and thin stains
Thick- detects parasites
Thin- identifies species
FBC, Clotting profile, U+E, LFTs, blood glucose, Urinalysis, ABG
A 30 yo lady on the HIV ward has white plaques all over her tongue that extend into her throat. She says it’s very painful to swallow.
What is the most likely causative organism?
A. Candida albicans B. Epstein-Barr virus C. Herpes Simplex Virus D. Streptococcal throat infection E. Human Herpes Virus 8
A. Candida albicans
A 50 year old homeless man presents to A&E with purple purpural lesions on his back and on his gums.
What is the most likely causative organism?
A. HHV-2 B. HHV-4 C. HHV-5 D. HHV-7 E. HHV-8
E. HHV-8
A 26 year old architect presents to GP with a history of sharp tingling around his lips followed by a painful ulcer on the side of his mouth. O/E he has cervical lymphadenopathy and a blister on his finger.
What is the pathogen?
A. Varicella Zoster Virus B. Epstein-Barr Virus C. Herpes Simplex Virus 1 D. Herpes Simplex Virus 2 E. Cytomegalovirus
C. Herpes Simplex Virus 1
A 20 year old medical student presents with sore throat, headache, myalgia and coryzal symptoms. O/E she has cervical lymphadenopathy, enlarged exudative tonsils and splenomegaly.
What is the most likely diagnosis?
A. Varicella Zoster Virus B. Epstein-Barr Virus C. Herpes Simplex Virus 1 D. Herpes Simplex Virus 2 E. Cytomegalovirus
B. Epstein-Barr Virus
A 20 year old medical student presents with sore throat, headache, myalgia and coryzal symptoms. O/E he has cervical lymphadenopathy, enlarged exudative tonsils and splenomegaly.
What is the most appropriate management?
A. Rest at home, paracetamol B. Amoxicillin C. Acyclovir D. Ceftriaxone E. Vancomycin
A. Rest at home, paracetamol
A 15 year old female patient presents to A&E with difficulty speaking. 4 days ago she experienced a sore throat, which progressively got worse. It’s now difficult for her to speak or swallow. She has not had a cough or cold recently.
O/E there is bilateral tonsillar exudate and the oropharynx is not erythematous. There are 3 tender swellings on the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
Her observations are: T 39.1, HR 90, BP 113/68, SpO2 97%
What is the most likely diagnosis?
A. Infectious mononucleosis B. Viral tonsillitis C. Common cold D. Bacterial tonsillitis E. Chickenpox
D. Bacterial tonsillitis
A 22 year old university student is seen in the GP with a fever, headache, neck stiffness and photophobia. Which is the most likely causative organism in this patient?
A. Bacterial meningitis due to Haemophilus influenzae
B. Bacterial meningitis due to Neisseria meningitides
C. Bacterial meningitis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae
D. Fungal meningitis
B. Bacterial meningitis due to Neisseria meningitides
A 22 year old university student is seen in the A&E with a fever, headache, neck stiffness and photophobia. A lumbar puncture was performed. The appearance of the fluid is clear, there are raised proteins and normal glucose. Lymphocyte count is raised. What is the most likely cause of this?
A. Bacterial meningitis B. Drug induced meningitis C. Fungal meningitis D. TB meningitis E. Viral meningitis
E. Viral meningitis
40 year old woman returns from holiday in Vietnam. She started getting diarrhoea after eating some local food on her last day in Vietnam. She presents with fever, nausea and is sore all over. The white of her eyes are yellow.
What is the most likely causative organism?
A. Hepatitis A B. Hepatitis B C. Hepatitis C D. Hepatitis D E. Hepatitis E
A. Hepatitis A
A 29 yo male comes to the GP with fever, fatigue, joint pain and urticaria-like skin rash. He had unprotected anal sex a month ago. He comes back a week later for a blood test, which shows raised ALT and AST. He now complains of feeling sick, RUQ pain and looks a bit yellow.
What is the most likely causative organism?
A. Hepatitis A B. Hepatitis B C. Hepatitis C D. Hepatitis D E. Hepatitis E
B. Hepatitis B
A 70 yo M has been in hospital for the past two weeks for severe pneumonia. He develops bloody diarrhoea, colitis and reduced urine output. He has raised CRP, WCC and low albumin.
What is the most likely causative organism?
A. Campylobacter B. C. Difficile C. Bacillus cereus D. E. Coli E. Vibrio cholera
B. C. Difficile
A 20 year old medical student comes back from their holiday and presents to A&E with profuse diarrhoea of rice water appearance. There is no blood.
What is the most likely cause?
A. Entamoeba histolytica B. Staph aureus C. Bacillus cereus D. E. Coli E. Vibrio cholera
E. Vibrio cholera
A 40 yo woman presents to A&E with bloody, foul smelling diarrhoea. She went to a barbeque yesterday where she suspects she ate undercooked chicken. She has a fever and severe abdominal pain.
What is the most likely cause?
A. Campylobacter B. Shigella C. Bacillus cereus D. E. coli E. Salmonella
A. Campylobacter
For Human Herpes Viruses (HHV) 1-8, state the name of the virus and the clinical presentation
HHV-1 = HSV-1 (multiple presentations including temporal lobe encephalitis) HHV-2 = HSV-2 (genital herpes) HHV-3 = VZV (chicken pox, shingles) HHV-4 = EBV (mononucleosis) HHV-5 = CMV (mononucleosis in immunocompromised) HHV-6+7 = roseola infantum HHV-8 = Kaposi's sarcoma
Define HSV
Disease resulting from HSV1 (mouth) or HSV2 (genitals) infection.
Summarise the epidemiology of HSV
VERY COMMON – 90% adults seropositive for HSV1 by 30 years (can be asymptomatic)