Infections of lower respiratory tract - Kozel Flashcards
What is Bronchitis?
inflammation of the large and mid-sized airways, due primarily to viral infections
What is Bronchiolitis?
inflammation of the bronchioles, the smaller air passages, infection is primarily viral - 50-90% by RSV
What is acute pneumonia?
Inflammation of the lungs caused by microbial inception of the alveoli and surrounding lung - present for days. Typically bacterial.
What is atypical pneumonia?
Characterized by moderate amounts of sputum, absence of physical findings of consolidation, only moderate elevation of WBC’s and lack alveolar exudates. Mycoplasma is a major source of this.
What is chronic pneumonia?
Inflammation of lungs caused by microbial infection of the alveoli and surrounding lung or non-infecious causes; present for weeks to months
What are Pleural effusion and Empyema?
accumulation of pus in the pleural cavity
What is a bacterial lung abscess?
infection causing necrosis of the lung parenchyma
Cystic fibrosis leads to increased risk of…?
Lower respiratory tract infections.
What factors contribute to the development of pneumonia?
- Defect in host defenses
- Exposure to particularly virulent microbe - ie. Influenza
- Overwhelming inoculum - exposure to high doses can overwhelm normal defenses
- Can involve one or more of the above
What structures of the nasopharynx provide defense for the pulmonary system?
- nasal hair
- anatomy of upper airway
- presence of mucocilliary apparatus
What structures of the oropharynx provide defense for the pulmonary system?
- saliva
- cough
- bacterial interference - normal flora keep pathogens from taking hold
What structures of the trachea and bronchi provide defense for the pulmonary system?
- cough, epiglottal reflexes
- mucocilliary apparatus
- airway surface liquid - has lysozyme (targets cell wall of gram positives) and lactoferrin (iron chelator)
What structures of the terminal airways and alveoli provide defense for the pulmonary system?
- alveolar lining fluid - contains surfactant, fibronectin, iron-binding proteins
- alveolar macrophages
- neutrophil recruitment
How does alteration in level of consciousness impair pulmonary defenses?
Stroke, seizure, drugs, anesthesia and alcohol abuse all alter consciousness. This can compromise epiglottic closure leading to aspiration of oropharyngeal flora. Microbes in the mouth are often anaerobes and are often gram negatives so can lead to pneumonia and especially to abscesses.
How does cigarette smoke impair pulmonary defenses?
- disrupts mucociliary function
2. disrupts macrophage activity
How does alcohol abuse impair pulmonary defenses?
- impairs cough and epiglottic reflexes
- increased colonization of oropharynx with gram-negative bacilli
- decreased cellular responses
How does infection with M. pneumonia, H. flu or viruses impair pulmonary defenses?
- interfere with or destroy cilia
2. causes defective cell function
Why are older patients at increased risk for pulmonary infections?
- increased number and severity of underlying diseases
- less effective mucociliary clearance and coughing
- increased micro aspiration
- immune senescence
What types of underlying diseases can increase risk of pulmonary infection?
- COPD
- immune deficiencies
- asplenia - especially associated with decreased clearance of strep pneumo
- functional asplenia can occur too - ie. with sickle cell disease
Name the microbes associated with community-acquired acute pneumonia.
In order of importance:
- Strep pneumo
- legionella pneumophila
- klebsiella pneumoniae
- H. flu
- Staph aureus
- Pseudomonas
Name the microbes associated with community acquired atypical pneumonia.
In order of importance:
- mycoplasma pneumophila
- Chlamydia species - C. pneumonia, C. psittaci and C. trachomatis
Name the microbes associated with hospital acquired pneumonia.
In order of importance:
- Klebsiella
- Legionella
- pseudomonas species
- staph aureus
Name the microbes associated with chronic pneumonia.
In order of importance:
- Nocardia
- mycobacterium
- tuberculosis and atypical mycobacteria
- Histoplasma capsulatum
- coccidioides immitis
- Blastomyces dermatitidis
Name the microbes associated with necrotizing pneumonia and lung abscess.
In order of importance:
- klebsiella
- staph aureus
Name the microbes associated with pneumonia in an immune compromised host.
In order of importance:
- pneumocystis jiroveci
- mycobacterium avium-intracellulare
Name the microbes associated with aspiration pneumonia.
Anaerobic oral flora admixed with aerobic bacteria.
Name some infectious agents that cause pneumonia that infect via environmental exposure.
- legionanaires - via exposure to contaminated aerosols such as air coolers
- anthrax - exposure to goat hair, raw wool and animal hides
- brucellosis - ingestion of unpasteurized milk
- histoplasmosis - exposure to bat or bird droppings
- leptospirosis - exposure to water contaminated with animal urine
- hantavirus - exposure to rodnt droppings, urine or saliva
- anthrax, plague, tularemia - potential bioterrorism exposure
What are some zoonotic exposures that can cause pneumonia?
- brucellosis - employment as abattoir work or veterinarian
- antrhax, brucellosis - exposure to cattle, goats, pigs
- plague - exposure to ground squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, prairie dogs and rats in Africa or SW US
- tularemia- hunting or exposure to rabbits, foxes or squirrels or bites from flies or ticks
- Psittacosis - exposure to birds
- Q fever via Coxiella burnetii - exposure to infected goats, cattle, sheep, domestic animals (dogs and cats) and their secretions
- Pasteurella multocida - exposure to infected dogs and cats
What are some potential travel exposures that may be an etiology for pneumonia?
- coccidioidomycosis - exposure in San Joaquin valley, S. CA, SW Texas, S. AZ and New mexico
- Histoplasmosis and blastomycosis - exposure in Mississippi or Ohio river valleys, Caribbean, central america or africa
- SARS, avian flu - exposure in china
- MERS -CoV - exposure in Arabian peninsula
- Melioidosis - exposure in SE asia, West indies, australia or guam
Describe the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis.
- Lung obstructed by viscous secretions
2. Persistent bacterial infection produces airway wall damage