L28-30: Bacterial Infections of the Respiratory Tract Flashcards
Characteristics of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI)
Less common than URTI but more severe, includes pertussis, bronchitis, and pneumonia
Airway defenses
Ciliated epithelium and mucociliary escalator
General features of bacterial pneumonia
Inflammation of the lung as a result of bacterial infection, causes fever, malaise, cough and crackles, pleuritic chest pain, dyspnea, and potentially sputum production
Those at increased risk to pneumonia
Comorbidities (heart disease, diabetes, lung disease/cancer, immunosuppression), age extremes, smoking/alcohol/narcotics
Pathogenesis of bacterial pneumonia
Bacteria enter small airways or alveoli and grow in rich lung environment; local effects are due to inflammatory immune response to bacteria; can cause accumulation of fluid, bacteria, neutrophils, and fibrin
Typical/lobar pattern of CXR and what causes it
Alveoli are full of bacteria (consolidation occurs in one lung), associated with S. pneumo, S. aureus, H. influenzae, and most G- bacteria
Atypical/patchy pattern of CXR and what causes it
Mostly all of the lobes of the lung are involved, not entire lung is full, associated with M. pneumoniae, C. pneumoniae, and L. pneumophila (special pattern)
Characteristics of typical (“lobar”) pneumonia
Sudden onset, patient looks sick, productive cough, bloody sputum, fever of 103-104 oF, consolidation and pleurisy, WBC count elevated (typically neutrophils), most commonly caused by S. pneumoniae
Characteristics of atypical (“patchy”) pneumonia
Onset is gradual, patient looks well, nonproductive cough, scant/watery sputum, no fever (usually), normal WBC count, most commonly caused by M. pneumoniae
Complications of pneumonia
- -Pleural effusion (excess fluid buildup in pleural space)
- -Anemia (with chronic) or thromboxytopenia
- -With chronic: decrease in oxygen arterial pressure, weight loss/muscle atrophy, and bronchiectasis
Aspiration pneumonia
Introduction of foreign material into the bronchial tree (usually fluid with bacteria); associated with alcoholics, coma/stroke patients
Community acquired pneumonia (CAP)
Any pneumonia not acquired in a healthcare setting
Hospital acquired pneumonia (HAP)
Acquired in a healthcare setting, occurs more often in immunocompromised patients and associated with ventilator use (VAP) – frequently caused by MDR Gram- bacteria
Importance of labs with pneumonia
Elevated WBC count (“left shift”), blood culture (positive = severe disease), sputum analysis (>25 PMNS and <10 epithelial cells)
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Normal colonizer of URT but causes pneumococcal pneumonia, Gram+ diplococci, alpha-hemolytic, catalase-, many serotypes
Pneumococcal virulence factors
- -Surface adhesins (colonize pharynx)
- -IgA protease (cleaves IgA, prevents clearance)
- -Pneumolysin*** (pore-forming toxin, colonization, invasion, inflammation, complement activation, etc.)
- -Teichoic acid and peptidoglycan (inflammation)
- -Thick polysaccharide capsule (antiphagocytic)
Lab diagnosis of S. pneumoniae
Gram+ sputum, alpha-hemolysis on blood agar, catalase-, bile solubility positive, optochin sensitive
Treatment for S. pneumoniae pneumonia
Empiric therapy of penicillin, azithromycin, or azithromycin + cephalosporin
Prevention of S. pneumoniae pneumonia
Vaccination with 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine or 13-valent conjugated-pneumococcal vaccine
Staphylococcus aureus
Normal microbiota in some, Gram+ cocci clusters, catalase+, coagulase+, protein A binds Fc portion of antibody
Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)
Virulence factor of S. aureus; cyotoxin that causes severe necrosis of tissue that is irreversible
MRSA (methicillin resistant S. aureus)
Resistant to all beta-lactam antibiotics, harder to treat (more dangerous because less options for treatment)
1 causes of Gram- bacterial pneumonia
Klebsiella pneumoniae (facultative anaerobe), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (aerobe)
Gram- pneumonia characteristics
Generally an underlying disease, anaerobic bacterial etiology includes foul-smelling sputum, antibiotic resistance is HUGE
Gram- pneumonia diagnosis and treatment
Can diagnose with sputum culture and Gram-staining, sometimes blood culture; treat with broad spectrum antibiotics and multiple drug therapy
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Gram- rod, non-motile, mucoid colonies, oxidase-, present in respiratory tract and occasionally feces
How does Klebsiella pneumoniae present?
Classic lobar pneumonia with bloody sputum
Virulence factors of Klebsiella pneumoniae
LPS and capsule
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Gram- rod, flagellated, obligate aerobe (sugar fermentation-), oxidase+, smells like grapes
Where does Psuedomonas aeruginosa grow?
Water, hand soaps (soap containers), dilute antiseptics (like at restaurants), humidifiers – forms biofilms
Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence factors
- -Toxin A (ribosylates EF-2)
- -Leukocidin (targets leukocytes)
- -Phospholipase C (membrane disruption)
- -Capsule (anti-phagocytic)
- -Pyocyanin
- -Pyoverdin
Treatment for Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Antipseudomonal penicillin (ticarcillin or piperacillin) + aminoglycoside (gentamycin, tobramycin, amikacin)