Infectious Disease Flashcards
What is babesiosis?
- Ixodes tick born infection caused by Babesia microti
- Causes acute febrile illness, thrombocytopenia, hemolytic anemia (indirect hyperbilirubinemia, elevated lactate dehydrogenase, low haptoglobin) abnormal liver function tests and intraerythrocyte inclusions.
What is the definite diagnosis for babesiosis?
- Giemsa-stained thin blood smear
- Intraerythrocyte inclusions of ringed shaped and maltese cross forms.
Which patients are at increased risk for severe babesiosis?
- Splenectomy patients
- Manifests as acute respiratory distress syndrome
- Dyspnea, coarse crackles, bilateral infiltrates on chest x-ray.
What is lyme disease?
- Ixodes tick born infection caused by Borrelia Bordoferi
What is the best treatment for beta lactamase producing bacteroides?
A broad spectrum antibiotic such as a penicillin and a beta lactamase inhibitor (tazobactam, clavulanic acid and sulbactem) for diabetics
- Piperacillin and Tazobactam
- Can also use metronidazole, carbapenems and clindamycin for anaerobes
What are transpetidases?
A form of penicillin binding protein that function to cross link peptidoglycan in the bacterial cell wall.
What is the mechanism of action of penicillins and cephalosporins?
Irreversibly bind to penicillin binding proteins (such as transpeptidases) leading to cell wall instability and lysis.
What is the mechanism of action of vancomycin?
- Bacteriostatic
- Binds terminal D-alanine residues of cell wall glycoproteins and prevents transpeptidases from forming cross links.
- Not susceptible to Beta-lactamases
What is the mechanism of action of fluoroquinolones?
Interfere with DNA replication by binding to proteins such as DNA gyrase.
Which antibiotics bind to ribosomal proteins?
Macrolides, ahminoglycosides and tetracyclines
How can bacteria become resistant to cephalosporins?
- Change the structure of penicillin binding proteins that prevents cephalosporin binding
How do bacteria become resistant to aminoglycosides?
- Methylation of the aminoglycoside-binding portion of the ribosome which inhibits the ability of amino glycoside to interfere with protein translation
How do bacteria become resistant to vancomycin?
- Mutated peptidoglycan cell wall
- Impared influx / increased efflux
How do bacteria become resistant to fluoroquinolones?
- Mutate their DNA gyrase
- Impared influx/ increased efflux
What is the mechanism of action of aminoglycosides?
- Interfere with ribosomal 30s subunit causing the cell to misread messenger RNA and halting protein synthesis.
What is the mechanism of action of protease inhibitors?
- Reversibly inhibit viral protease which is responsible for HIV polyprotein cleavage to form mature viral proteins.
- Never used as mono therapy
- Atazanavir, darunavir, indinavir, lopinavir and ritonavir
What are the main side effects of protease inhibitors?
- Lipodystrophy
- Increased fat deposition in the back, abdomen and decreased adipose tissue on face, extremities and buttocks. - Hyperglycemia
- Due to increased insulin resistance - Inhibition of cytochrome p450
- Will increase serum levels of WEPT
What is the most important side effect with acyclovir?
- Renal toxicity
What are the main side effects with foscarnet?
- May cause nephrotoxicity and electrolyte disturbances
Define febrile neutropenia and who is most susceptible?
- Fever with absolute neutrophil count < 500
- Commonly seen in patients with leukemia undergoing chemotherapy
- Patients are at increased risk for severe infection
If a child presents with a fever and a sore throat and has never received any vaccines, what is the most likely pathogen?
- Corynebacteria diphtheriae
What agar is C. diphtheriae best grown in?
- Cysteine-tellurite agar
- Will grow as black, iridescent colonies. - Loffler’s medium
- Will develop cytoplasmic metachromatic granules
- Must stain with aniline dye like methylene blue
What do you see in a biopsy of Tuberculosis and which marker would you find?
- Caseating granulomas consist of large epithelioid macrophages with pale pink granular cytoplasm surrounding a central region of necrotic debris.
- CD 14 is the surface marker the monocyte-macrophage cell lineage.
Properties of gram positives
- Minimum 40 layers of peptidoglycan wall
- More likely to have exotoxin (only 1 has endotoxin)
- Lipoteichoic acid is present
Properties of gram negatives
- One layer thin peptidoglycan wall
- More likely to have endotoxin (inside cell wall) LPS/LOS
- Contain periplasmic space (Beta-lactamase location)
- Contain outer membrane which is antigenic
Core antigen
- Outtermost portion of LPS
- Different for every gram negative family member
- The most variable
- Causes most inflammation (immune response)
O antigen
- Middle portion of the LPS
- Different for each gram negative family but the same for all members of that family
- All E.colis have the same, all klebsiellas have the same
Lipid A
- Innermost portion of the LPS, connects to outer membrane
- The same for every gram negative bacteria
- Lipid portion
- Responsible for toxicity of the endotoxin
- Such as DIC, stroke, renal failure, heart failure, etc.
- Lipid A induces TNF and IL-1; antigenic O polysaccharide component
Periplasmic space
- Space between the inner and outer membrane in gram negative bacteria
- Contains the thin peptidoglycan wall
What are early sepsis symptom signs?
- Increased cardiac output/HR
- Peripheral vasodilation
- Warm extremities
What are septic shock symptom signs?
- Hypotension
- Tachycardia
- Tachypnea
- Also markedly elevated or decreased body temperature
What are signs that sepsis is progressing?
- Stroke volume decreases
- Cardiac output decreases
- Distal hypoperfusion becomes evident
What are signs of advanced septic shock?
- Cool and clammy extremities
- Delayed capillary refill
- Altered mental status
- Decreased urine output
What mediates sepsis?
- TNF-alpha is the most important
- It is produced by activated macrophages - IL-1
- IL-6
What is the immune responses most important source of protection against influenza?
- Humoral response with antibodies directed against hemagglutinin
- Neutralize the virus by blocking its binding to host cells
- Obtained via prior infection or through vaccination of similar strain of virus
What is the mechanism of action of Zidovudine (AZT)?
- Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor
- It competitively binds to reverse transcriptase and is incorporated into the viral genome as a thymidine analog
- It has an azido group in place of a hydroxyl group normally found in the 3’ end of thymidine
- A free 3’ hydroxyl group (3’-OH) is required for new nucleotides to be added to replicating DNA
- Therefore the azido group prevents viral DNA chain elongation
Staphylococcus Epidermidis
- Gram positive cocci in clusters
- Novobiocin sensitive
- Catalase positive
- Urease positive
- Coagulase negative
- Found in normal skin flora, contaminates blood cultures
- Does not ferment mannitol
- Infects artificial or prosthetic devices such as hip implants and heart valves
- Infects IV catheters by producing adherent biofilms
- Most common cause of endocarditis infecting artificial heart valves
- Treat with vancomycin
Staphylococcus Saprophyticus
- Gram positive cocci in clusters
- Catalase positive
- Urease positive
- Coagulase negative
- Novobiocin resistant
- Normal flora of female genital tract and perineum
- 2nd most common cause of urinary tract infections in sexually active females
Enterococcus
- Gram positive cocci
- E. faecalis and E. feceum
- Grow in up to 6.5% NaCl
- Bile resistant
- UTIs, Endocarditis and Biliary Tree infections
- E. feceum is nosocomial infection resistant to almost all antibiotics including vancomycin
- Treat with Linezolid (IV) and Tigecycline
Coxsackievirus
- Picornavirus family
- Single stranded RNA, + sense, naked
Type A virus - Hand, foot and mouth disease
- Red vesicular rash
- Can lead to aseptic meningitis
- More common in the summer
Type B Virus - Causes dilated cardiomyopathy
- Devils grip (Bornholms/Pleurodynia)
- Characterized by sharp pain, unilateral and in the lower chest
Treatment is supportive care
Picornavirus family
- Single stranded, + sense, naked, RNA virus
- Transmitted via fecal oral route, except rhinovirus
- RNA is transmitted to long protein which is cleaved to active viral protein subunit
- Replicates in the cytoplasm (like mRNA)
Includes the following viruses: - Hepatitis A
> Hepatosplenomegaly - Enteroviruses (polio, cocksackie, echovirus)
> Can lead to aseptic meningitis in kids
> Spinal tap shows normal glucose, no organisms, increased protein - Rhinovirus
> The common cold, transmitted via respiratory droplets
Rhinovirus
- Picornavirus
- Single stranded, RNA, + sense, naked virus
- Acid labile, can not go through GI tract
- Transmited via respiratory tract / fomites
- Attaches to ICAM-1 entering host csells
- Grows best at 33 degrees an likes the upper respiratory tract
- Causes URI
- There are 113 serotypes
- Treatment is supportive
Flavivirus Family
- RNA, + sense, single stranded, enveloped, non-segmented viruses
Includes the following viruses
1. Dengue - Carried by Aedes Egyptei mosquitos
- Causes break bone fever, thrombocytopenia, hemorrhagic fever and can lead to renal failure
- Treat supportively
2. Yellow fever - Caused by Aedes Egyptei mosquitos
- Jaundice, back ache, bloody vomit/diarrhea
- There is a live attenuated vaccine for travelers
3. West nile virus - Birds are a reservoir
- Caused by Coolers mosquito
- Causes encephalitis, myelitis, flaccid paralysis, meningitis, seizure and coma
4. Hepatitis C - Hepatitis
5. St louis encephalitis
6. Zikavirus
Treat all supportively
Calicivirus (AKA Norwalk or Norovirus)
- Single stranded, RNA, + sense, naked virus
- Common on cruise ships, day cares and schools
- Transmitted via consumption of shellfish
- Can also be transmitted in buffets
- Causes viral gastroenteritis
- Explosive diarrhea
- Treat supportively
Adenovirus
- Double stranded, naked DNA virus
- Most common cause of tonsillitis and infection of the adenoids
- Transmitted via respiratory droplets and fecal oral route
- Affects children in day cares and soldiers in closed quarters
- Common in public swimming pools
- May cause hemorrhagic cystitis and viral conjunctivitis.
- Live attenuated vaccine available for military recruits
Coronavirus
- Single-stranded, RNA, + sense, enveloped, helical virus
- Causes the common cold, SARS and MERS
- Acute bronchitis that may lead to ARDS
- Virus replicates in the cytoplasm
- Can diagnose with PCR or antibodies to SARS
- Treat with broad spectrum antibiotics, ribavirin or corticosteroids
Hepatitis A
- Picornavirus
- Single stranded, RNA, + sense, naked virus
- Causes hepatitis
- Acid stable, survives the GI tract
- Transmited via fecal oral route
- Prevent infection from water by chlorination, bleaching, UV irradiation or boiling to 85 degrees for 1 minute
- Can be transmitted via shellfish in contaminated water
- Symptoms include fever, hepatosplenomegaly and jaundice
- Kids may be anecteric and show no symptoms
- Illness lasts 1 month
- Self limiting
- No carrier or chronic state
- Inactivated vaccine for travelers, chronic liver diseased patients and gay men
Poliovirus
- Picornavirus
- Single-stranded, RNA, + sense, naked virus
- Acid stable, survives the GI tract
- Replicates in peters patches of the submucosa gut lymph tissue (2-3 weeks)
- Affects anterior horn of the spinal cord
- Causes asymmetric paralysis, respiratory insufficiency and aseptic meningitis
- No treatment
- Salk vaccine (killed) for children (IPV) leads to IgG Ab
- Sabin vaccine (live) not used in the US leads to IgG and IgA Ab
Togavirus family
- Single-stranded, RNA, + sense, enveloped virus
Includes the following
1. Arbovirus - Western, Easter and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis
> All cause headache, fever and encephalitis
2. Rubella (German or 3 Day Measles) - Postauricular/occipital lymphadenopathy
- Macular papular rash begins at head and spreads downward
- Virus spreads via respiratory droplets
- Causes serious congenital disease (TORCHs)
- Mental retardation, microcephaly, deafness, blindness, cataracts, jaundice, patent ductus arteriosus, pulmonic stenosis
- Blueberry muffin rash is hallmark
- In adults causes arthritis and arthralgia
- There is a live attenuated vaccine (MMR)
- Vaccine induces humoral/cell mediated immunity
- Do not give to pregnant women or immunosuppressed patients
- CD4 count must be over 100 to give to HIV patients
- Rubella is common in immigrants
Hepatitis C
- Flavivirus
- Single-stranded, RNA, + sense, enveloped virus
- Transmitted via blood to blood by:
> Blood transfusions before 1990
> Needle sticks or IV drug sharing
> Via sex, placenta and breast feeding - Antigenic variability and variation
- Virion encoded RNA polymerase has no proofreading in 3’-5’ exonuclease activity
- Causes hepatitis, jaundice, RUQ pain and increased liver enzymes
- 60-80% of infections progress to chronic state
- Lymphocytes infiltrate the portal tract, hepatocytes die, leading to fibrosis and cirrhosis
- Increases risk of hepatocellular carcinoma
- In the acute state, the ALT rises and then falls in 6 months
- Associated with cryoglobulins (IgM precipitates in the cold)
- Treatment is with ribavirin, IFN-alpha and protease inhibitors
Giardia Lamblia
- Intestinal flagellate that has two forms
- Trophozoite form is the pathogenic form that is pear shaped with flagella and 2 nuclei (owls eyes) - Diagnostic
- The cyst form is the infective form contain up to 4 nuclei
- Transmitted by fecal oral route or by drinking contaminated water (campers or traveling to endemic areas)
- Can be asymptomatic
- Symptoms include watery diarrhea, nausea, abdominal cramps, malabsorption, steatorrhea (foul smelling stools)
- May lead to malabsorption of vitamins A,D,E,K
- Diagnosed by stool microscopy for ova and parasites or immunoassays for Giardia antigens (ELISA)
- Bowel biopsy may show atrophic villi and crypt hyperplasia
- Treat with metronidazole
What is the immune mechanism against Giardia?
Who is most susceptible to giardiasis?
CD4+ T helper cells and secretory IgA production
- IgA helps prevent and clear infection by binding to trophozoites and impairing their adherence to upper small-bowel mucosa
- Children with IgA deficiency, X-linked agammaglobulinemia and common variable immune deficiency can develop chronic giardiasis
Streptococcus Pneumoniae
- Alpha hemolytic
- Encapsulated with polysaccharide capsule
- Optochin sensitive
- Gram positive lancet shaped diplococci
- Bile soluble
- Number one cause of community acquired pneumonia
- Produces rust colored sputum
- MOPS (Meningitis, Otitis Media, Pneumonia, Sinusitis)
- IgA protease degrades IgA
- Patients with sickle cell disease are susceptible
- Treat with Macrolides (erythro), 3rd generation cephalosporins (ceftriaxone)
- 7 valent vaccine is conjugated to protein in children and induces IgG
- 23 valent adult vaccine