Intro to Infectious Disease Flashcards
Establishing presence of infection: fever
fever –> hallmark of infection
>38 degrees celsius (100.4)
Non-infectious causes (false-positives) of a fever
drug-induced fevers: fever coincides temporally with administration of the offending agent and disappears promptly with withdrawal of offending agent
malignancies
blood transfusions
auto-immune disorders
False-negatives of a fever (absence of fever in patients with signs/symptoms consistent with infection)
antipyretics (acetaminophen, NSAIDs, aspirin): can mask poor therapeutic response –> use discouraged during treatment
corticosteroids
overwhelming infection (may be hypothermic, <36 or 96.8)
Establishing presence of infection: systemic signs
systemic signs:
vital signs: blood pressure - hypotension (SBP < 90 or MAP < 70); heart rate - tachycardia (>90 BPM); respiratory rate - tachypnea (>20 RPM); fever (>38 or <36); increased/decreased WBC count - >12,000 or <4,000 or >10% immature forms
4 criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)
tachycardia, tachypnea, fever, and increased/decreased WBC count
at least 2 criteria needed
Establishing presence of infection: systemic symptoms
chills, rigors, malaise, mental status changes
Establishing presence of infection: local signs and symptoms
symptoms referable to specific body system, pain and inflammation, inflammation in deep-seated infections (pneumonia, meningitis, UTIs)
may be absent in neutropenic patients
Establishing presence of infection: lab test (WBC)
defend the body against invading organisms
normal: 4,500-11,000 cells/mm^3 - represents total # of WBC, includes neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils
elevated in response to infectious and non-infectious causes: non-infectious - steroids, leukemia, stress, RA, pregnancy
Mature neutrophils
most common WBC
fight infections
Immature neutrophils (bands)
increase during infection
Eosinophils
involved in allergic reactions and immune response to parasites
Basophils
associated with hypersensitivity reactions
Lymphocytes
humoral (B-cell) and cell-mediated (T-cell) immunity
Monocytes
mature into macrophages
serve as scavengers for foreign substances
Establishing presence of infection: lab test - leukocytosis
increased neutrophils +/- bands –> associated with bacterial infections
presence of bands indicates increased bone marrow response to infection
may be elevated due to non-infectious diseases (leukemia, stress) or drugs (steroids)
leukopenia (abnormally low WBC) may be sign of overwhelming infection, poor prognostic sign
Establishing presence of infection: lab test - lymphocytosis
associated with viral, fungal, or tuberculosis infections
B-lymphocyte: proliferate into plasma cells –> produce antibodies and memory B-cells
T-lymphocytes: T-helper and T-suppressor
T-helper (CD4)
regulation of the immune system; help with antibody production and secrete lymphokines to help protect against bacterial/viral infections and tumors; depleted in HIV infection
T-suppressor (CD8)
bind to and directly kill tumor cells; help with regulation of humoral and cell-mediated immunity
Establishing presence of infection: lab test - absolute neutrophil count (ANC)
total # of circulating segs and bands
Establishing presence of infection: lab test - neutropenia
ANC < 500 cells/mm^3
ANC expected to decrease to <500 cells/mm^3 in the next 48hrs
ANC <100 cells/mm^3 is termed profound neutropenia
risk of infection dramatically increases as ANC decreases: start to worry when ANC < 1000 cells/mm^3
Establishing presence of infection: lab test - acute phase reactants (ESR and CRP)
ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are elevated in the presence of an inflammatory process –> does NOT confirm infection
normal levels: ESR = 0-15 mm/hr (males), 0-20 mm/hr (females); CRP = 0-0.5 mg/dL
often elevated in presence of infection
Establishing presence of infection: lab test - acute phase reactants (procalcitonin)
procalcitonin (PCT): precursor to calcitonin –> more specific for bacterial infections than ESR and CRP; normal level: <0.05 mcg/L; increase 3-12hrs after stimulation, decline over 24-72hrs
<0.25 mcg/L –> low risk of infection
>0.5 mcg/L –> antibiotics should be continued
serial measurements every 1-2 days useful to assess response to therapy and when to d/c antibiotics
Establishing presence of infection: radiographic tests
x-rays, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear imaging (bone scans, WBC-labled scans), echocardiograghy (transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) or transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE)
Identification of the pathogen: microbiological studies
infected body material must be sampled, if possible or practical: before initiation of anti-infective therapy: gram stain might reveal causative pathogen, premature use of anti-infectives can suppress growth of pathogens –> leads to false-negatives or alterations of infected fluid
For microbiological studies you must avoid _____
contamination: introduction of an organism into the clinical specimen during sample collection or process
Identification of the pathogen: microbiological studies - type of culture collected
type of culture collected depends on site (or presumed site) of infection
osteomyelitis –> bone biopsy
meningitis –> CSF
endocarditis –> blood cultures, heart valve tissues
Identification of the pathogen: microbiological studies - blood cultures
should be performed in acutely ill febrile patients
obtained from 2 different peripheral sites as 2 sets
1 set = 1 aerobic and 1 anaerobic bottle
1 hour apart optimal
Identification of the pathogen: microbiological studies - colonization
a potentially pathogenic organism is present at the body site but is not invading host tissue or eliciting a host immune system