Infections of immunocompromised patients

Question 1

What are some primary and secondary immunodeficiencies?

Answer 1

Primary: neutrophil defects, complement defects, B cell defects, T cell defects, Severe combined immunodeficiency
Secondary: AIDS, Chemothrapy, Neutropenia, post transplant, bone marrow transplant

Question 2

how will problems with humoral immunity present compared to cell mediated immunity?

Answer 2

Humoral will present with recurrent encapsulated bacterial infections.
Cell mediated problems will present with recurrent viral infections and fungal infections.

Question 3

What is the management of primary immunodeficiency?

Answer 3

Usually treated by replacement of what is missing e.g. bone marrow transplant, cytokines or gene therapy

Question 4

What is usually used for pro-phylaxis from bacterial infection in immunocompromised individuals?

Answer 4

co-trimoxazole

Question 5

What infections are common in AIDS?

Answer 5

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Pneumocystis carinii and toxoplasmosis

Question 6

How will a pneumocytis carinii infection in AIDS present?

Answer 6

It will present with a non-productive cough, dyspnoea, fever with perihilar infiltrates on CXR

Question 7

How will TB in AIDS present?

Answer 7

With rapid progressive illness with extra-pulmonary manifestations

Question 8

How will toxoplasmosis present in AIDS patients?

Answer 8

With focal neurological lesions