Javier Ratchett - Hospital Acquired Infection Flashcards
Describe the chain of infection
1) Agent leaves reservoir/ host through portal of exit
2) This is conveyed via some mode of transmission
3) Enters through appropriate portal of entry to infect susceptible host
What is a resevoir?
Habitat that the infectious agent normally lives and multiplies in eg. humans, animals environment
What is the portal of the exit?
The path by which pathogen leaves the host and usually the site where the pathogen is localised
What are the different modes of transmission?
DIRECT
- Direct contact
- Droplet spread
INDIRECT
- Airborne
- Vehicleborne
- Vectorborne
What is the portal of entry?
The manner in which pathogens enter susceptible hosts
What is the impact of HAIs on healthcare systems
- Increases bed pressure
- 2 billion pound cost for the NHS
- 60 000 days lost healthcare workers contracting HAIs
- Increase in mortality and morbidity
- More complaints and dissatisfaction
What is meant by zoonosis
Infectious disease that is transmissible under natural conditions from vertebrae animals to humans
What are the 4 main risk factors of HAIs?
- Medical procedures and antibiotic uses
- Organisational factors
- Patient characteristics
- Behaviour of healthcare staff
If someone has an infection, what are their WBC count, CRP level and respiratory rate?
WBC count - High
CRP level - High
Respiratory rate - High
What is D-alanyl-D-alanine carboxypeptidase transpeptidase also known as and what is its function?
- Penicillin Binding Protein
- Assists with peptidoglycan matrix assembling by creating crosslinks between chains
What are the mechanisms in which bacterial resistance occurs?
- Decreased uptake of drug
- Mutated channel so drug cannot enter
- Enzyme digests/breaks down drug
- Inactivating enzymes
- Horizontal gene transfer
- Alternative enzyme to bypass the reaction that the drug inhibits
How do antibiotics inhibit D-alanyl-D-alanine carboxypeptidase?Ho
Antibiotics binds to the enzyme and inhibits the action of it preventing it from forming the cross links in the peptidoglycan layer, killing the bacteria.
How do bacteria evade beta-lactam containing antibiotics
They can express a beta-lactamase enzyme which breaks beta-lactam of antibiotic, rendering the antibiotic useless
Why would a patient not respond to amoxicillin but respond to co-amoxiclav
Bacteria inhibits amoxicillin via beta lactamases but co amoxiclav contains clavulanic acid which inhibits those beta lactamases therefore the amoxicillin has can inhibit the bacteria
Why would a patient taking co-amoxiclav develop a C.difficile infection
The antibiotic reduces gut flora therefore decreases competition for c.diff and so creates an environment that c.difficile can survive in.