Infectious Disease Flashcards
A child returns from travelling with suspected cerebral malaria, which organism are you likely to find?
All species of Plasmodium can cause Malaria but only P. Falciparum causes cerebral malaria.
Causes of cervical lymphadenopathy?
Abscess/lymphadenitis Atypical TB Cat scratch Mumps Malignancy e.g. lymphoma EBV Toxopasmosis Brucellosis Salivary stones
Causes of atypical lymphocytosis?
EBV CMV Toxoplasmosis Mumps TB Malaria
Causes of eosinophilia?
Atopy (asthma, eczema, EO)
Parasitic disease (hookworm, amoebiasis, schistosomiasis)
Psoriasis
Hodgkin’s lymphoma + eosinophilic leukaemia
Drug sensitivity
Causes of hydrops fetalis?
- 10-15% “immune” - fetal anaemia due to anti-D/anti-Kell
- 85-90% “non-immune” - parvovirus, toxo, syphilis, aneuploidy, SVT, congenital heart block, TTT syndrome, muscular dystrophy, alpha thalassaemia major
Prognostic markers in HIV?
- HIV viral load is most important predictor of progressive disease in early stages of HIV infection
- CD4 count is important prognosticator in late stage disease
India ink stain with halo indicates which organism?
- Cryptococcus neoformans - commonest cause of fungal meningitis in immunocompromised patients.
- Onset may be insidious.
- India ink stain is the classic stain for this organism and the halo is due to the stain being unable to penetrate the capsule of the organism.
What type of organism is gonorrhea?
Gram negative diplococcus
What are the contraindications for BCG vaccination?
- Immunocompromised
- HIV or suspected HIV
- Generalised infected skin condition
- Positive IGRA or mantoux and <8m age
When are patients with chickenpox contageous?
From 24-48 hours before the rash appears and until all the vesicles have crusted over
Describe the antigen/antibodies in these situations: A: Acute hepatitis B infection B: Chronic hepatitis B infection C: Hepatitis D superinfection D: Past hepatitis B vaccination E: Previous hepatitis B infection
A: Acute hepatitis B infection - HBsAg positive, anti-HBc positive, IgM anti-HBc positive
B: Chronic hepatitis B infection - HBsAg positive, anti-HBc positive, IgM anti-HBc negative
C: Hepatitis D superinfection - this should be suspected in a patient with chronic hepatitis B whose condition suddenly worsens
D: Past hepatitis B vaccination - HBsAg negative, anti-HBc negative, anti-HBs positive
E: Previous hepatitis B infection - HBsAg negative, anti-HBc positive, anti-HBS positive
Which antibiotic is most likely to cause oesophageal ulceration if not taken with fluids or food and at least 1 hour prior to going to sleep?
Doxycycline
What are the blood film freatures in HUS?
- Schistocytes/helmet cells = fragmented cells
- Microangiopathic anaemia
- Thrombocytopenia
What is the mechanism of weakness in infantile botulism?
- Inhibition of neurotransmitter release by neurotoxins produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium
- Symmetric descending paralysis beginning with cranial nerves/bulbar palsy
- It presents with: constipation, poor feeding, drooling, choking, weak cry, increasing weakness and floppiness and breathing difficulties
- Medical emergency. Needs ventilation, IVF, antitoxin early
Cut off values for mantoux test?
> 5mm or more is considered positive in:
A recent contact with TB, HIV +ve, fibrotic x-ray changes, immunosuppressed
>10mm or more is considered positive in: Recent immigrants (<5 years) from high prevalence countries, <4y/o, high risk exposure
> 15mm or more is considered positive in:
Any person
Describe the mechanism behind tick paralysis
- Holocyclus = tick causing paralysis in Australia
- Toxin released by the tick blocks acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction
- Results in dilated pupils, lethargy, weakness, ataxia, slurred speech, ascending paralysis, depressed deep tendon and gag reflexes
- Sensory symptoms absent (differentiates from Guillain Barre which has frequent prodromal sensory symptoms).
- Can resemble botulism.
- Treatment: remove tick, although this may create short term worsening in symptoms. Toxin antidote can cause serum sickness in humans
Discuss Lyme disease
- Caused by borrelia burgdorferi, transmitted by ticks
- Erythema migrans (red, circular rash with central bullseye) at site of bite
- Malaise, lymphadenopathy, paresthesia, headaches, myalgia, difficulties with memory and concentration
- 21 day course of doxycycline, majority of patients recover
What are the risk factors for cerebral abscess?
- Congenital heart disease
- Trauma
- Surrounding infection (e.g. ocular, ear)
- Surgery
- Immunocompromised patients
What is the steeple sign?
- Narrowing of the trachea on x-ray (looks like a church steeple)
- Seen in croup
What are the risks of neisseria gonorrhoeae conjunctivitis?
- Severe keratitis
- Endophthalmitis (purulent inflammation of intraocular fluid)
- Disseminated infection (ophthalmia neonatorum)
- Gram -ve diplococci
- Treat with IM ceftriaxone, saline irrigation. Need CSF and blood cultures
Conjunctivitis with intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies?
Chlamydial conjunctivitis
What is a common gram negative coccobacillus?
Haemophilus influenzae
What is the attack rate, spread, and incubation period of measles?
90%
Airborne or person-to-person
Incubation 6-21 days
Infective -5 to +4 from rash
Describe the presentation of parechovirus in young infants
- Severe sepsis-like presentation
- Diffuse erythematous maculopapular rash
- May have diarrhoea
- Shocked, extreme tachycardia and tachypnoea
- Can develop encephalitis with long term white matter injury
Describe HSV infection in a neonate
- Rash, lethargy, fever
- Neonatal encephalitis with prolonged focal seizures
- Characteristic T2 hyperintensity in temporal and basal frontal lobes
- Surviving infants have lifelong epilepsy and intellectual disability, especially if treatment is delayed
Describe subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE)
- Late onset after measles infection
- Progressive neurological disorder with memory loss, dementia, behavioural change, myoclonus, pyramidal and extrapyramidal signs
- Leads to vegetative state and death in 1-3 years
- MRI: signal change in PV white matter
- EEG: Radermecker complex
- CSF: high titre measles IgM and IgG antibodies
What is the mechanism of resistance in the SPACE group organisms?
- Serratia, pseudomonas, acinetobacter, citrobacter, enterobacter
- May produced AmpC beta-lactamase, which rapidly hydrolyses penicillins and cephalosporins
- If low levels of AmpC, can become resistant with prolonged treatment courses (inducible resistance)
- Therefore, even if reported as susceptible, cephalosporins not recommended as 1st line therapy for serious infections caused by SPACE organisms
What type of vaccine is the HPV-9 vaccine?
- Recombinant subunit vaccine containing virus-like particles
- Covers 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, 58
What are examples of an inactivated vaccine?
Influenza, cholera, plague, polio
What are examples of an attenuated vaccine?
Yellow fever, MMR, TB
What are examples of a toxoid vaccine?
Tetanus, diphtheria, snake bites
What are examples of a subunit vaccine?
Hepatitis B, HPV
What are examples of a conjugate vaccine?
Haemophilus influenza
What organisms can be present after animal bites?
- Cat - pasteurella multocida, staph aureus
- Dog - pasteurella canis, staph aureus, bacteroides, fusobacterium
- Monkey - herpes B virus (monkeypox, herpes simia)
- Rabies
A child who has a known diagnosis of HIV develops massive splenomegaly. Splenic aspirate reveals multiple amastigotes.
- Leishmani donoavani
- Visceral Leishmaniasis can present with massive splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, lymphadenopathy
- Can test on urine antigen, gold standard is identifying amastigote
- Small spherical or oval bodies which are transmitted by sandflies. Splenic aspirate is >95% sensitive.
A child from East Africa has been diagnosed with scabies which has been resistant to treatment. A skin snip reveals multiple microfilariae.
- Onchocerca volvulus
- Filarial worm responsible for river blindness, transmitted by simulium flies who breed in rapidly flowing water
- Intensely itchy rash which can be misdiagnosed as scabies
- Presence of microfilariae on skin snip