Infectious Diseases Teaching Flashcards
What is the basic underlying process that leads to infective endocarditis?
Alteration of the valve surface»_space; deposition of platelets and fibrin»_space; colonisation by bacteria»_space; development of vegetation
Can occur on native or prosthetic valves
What are some risk factors for infective endocarditis?
Congenital heart disease
Rheumatic heart disease
IVDU
Mitral valve prolapse
IV devices
What are the key symptoms of infective endocarditis?
Fever
Fatigue
Myalgia
Headache
Nausea + vomiting
Rigors
Malaise
Dyspnosea
Anorexia + weight loss
What is the most common cause of infective endocarditis?
80% are due to strep or staph
What pathogens are responsible for infective endocarditis in specific scenarios?
IVDU = S. aureus
Prosthetic valve = coagulase negative staphylococci
GI/GU source = enterococci
Rare causes = HACEK, fungi
Culture negative causes = coxiella burnettii, Chlamydia sp, bartonelaa, brucella
What specific clinical findings can indicate infective endocarditis?
Roth spots - small white centered hemorrhages in the retina of the eye
Janeway lesions - palms/soles
Osler nodes - fingers/toes
Splinter Haemorrhages (brown/reddish discolouration at the edges of the nail)
What investigations are required in order to diagnose infective endocarditis?
3 sets of blood cultures and an echo
What criteria is used to diagnose infective endocarditis?
Dukes Criteria
Includes pathological elements, minor criteria, surgical criteria, imaging criteria and microbiological criteria.
What factors affect the choice of treatment for infective endocarditis?
Causative organism
Native or prosthetic valve
Patient factors - renal function + allergies.
What is the typical treatment for infective endocarditis?
4-6w IV - start empirical after blood cultures taken
May require therapeutic drug monitoring
May require early valve surgery
Follow up echo to check for complications and establish new baseline function as rarely completely irreversible.
What are the risk factors for infective endocarditis?
Age >60yrs
Male
IV drug use (right sided)
Intravascular lines
Chronic hemodialysis
Immunosuppression
Recent dental or surgical procedure - inc risk of bacteria in mouth getting into blood stream
History of prior IE
Prosthetic heart valve or other cardiac device
Structural heart disease
What is a red flag history for infective endocarditis?
New murmur
Fever
Where in the world is considered a high risk area for malaria?
Tropical areas - subsaharan africa, southern brazil, Philippines etc
30% of all cases are in Nigeria
Particularly dangerous in children under 5yrs
What is meant by premunition in the context of malaria?
In high transmission areas repeated infections lead to immune tolerance.
This is lost very quickly = high rates of serious malaria in visiting friends and relatives abroad then return to UK (65% of UK cases)
How is malaria transmitted?
Bite of infected female anopheles mosquito
Life cycle involves blood ad liver stages - blood stage is responsible for the disease.
What is the life cycle of the malaria parasite?
During a blood meal malaria infected mosquito inoculate sporozoites into human
Sporozoites infect liver cell and mature into schizonts when rupture and release merozoites.
Merozoties can persist in liver causing replases later.
Ruptured parasites invade rbcs, undergo asexual reproduction
These mature inside red blood cells - rbc now a schizonts, which can rupture releasing merozites
Some parasites differentiate into sexual gametocytes
Bitten by another mosquito which takes up gametocytes during blood meal - process repeats.
What are the symptoms of malaria?
Incubation period in most cases 7-30days.
Early symptoms - fever, chills, sweats, headaches, muscle pains, nausea and vomiting
Travel history very important
What is the cause and sign/symptoms of severe malaria?
Primarily caused by plasmodium falciparum
Confusion, coma, neurlogic focal signs, severe anaemia, resp failure
Can lead to rapid deterioration and death
What are some risk factors for severe malaria?
Age under 5yrs
Pregnancy - escp 1st and 2nd pregnancy
Travellers from low endemic areas.
What are the five different species of parasite that can cause malaria in humans?
Plasmodium falciparum - high mortality
Plasmodium ovale - latent liver stage
Plasmodium vivax - latent liver stage
Plasmodium malariae - no latent but can persist for 30yrs
Plasmodium knowlesi - only species with animal reservoir.
How can you differentiate between the different types of malaria based on their symptoms?
P. falciparium - tertian/subtertian fever - irregular
P. vivax/ovale - tertian fever
P.mamalariea - quartan fever
P. knowlesi - quotidian fever
How is malaria diagnosed?
By demonstration of parasites on blood film - thick is more sensitive, thin to determine the species.
Sent in EDTA bottle - to show conc and type of malaria parasite.
Three negative samples over three consecutive days - required to exclude malaria.
Detection of antigens using immunochromatographic tests - rapid diagnosis test.
What pathogen is the most common cause of malaria?
Plasmodium falciparum - nearly all severe malaria
Most common overall including benign malaria is plasmodium vivax.
What factors affect the potential treatment used in malaria?
Severity of illness
Species of plasmodium
Likelihood of resistance