Lower respiratory tract infections Flashcards
What does prostration mean?
lying on ground
not able to move
What is upper respiratory?
nose, mouth, larynx, trachea, sinus
What is lower respiratory?
bronchial tubes, lungs etc.
What are common upper respiratory tract infections?
COMMON COLD: rhinovirus coronavirus parainfluenza respiratory Syncitial Virus influenza Virus adenovirus
What severe illnesses can first seem like a common cold?
Strep A infection
pneumonia
malaria
early stages of chicken pox, measles, meningitis
What is the incubation period?
time from when person gets infected to when symptoms start to show (1-3 days)
Why does illness peak in winter?
more crowding indoors
How does illness spread?
inhalation
surface contamination
How do sinusitis, otitis media, and tracheobronchitis happen?
damage to mucosa
What is otitis media?
inflammatory disease of middle ear
What is croup?
a barking cough that sounds like a seal (you can hear examples online)
a hoarse voice
difficulty breathing
a rasping sound when breathing in
How do you diagnose pneumonia?
can get from flu
diagnose through serology (look at bloods), immunofluorescence microscopy, PCR
What is oseltamivir?
antiviral
What are the 3 types of flu that affect humans?
influenza virus A (most common),B,C
What type of virus is influenze?
RNA
What is the structure of influenza virus?
- has spikes on its surface made of glycoproteins
- glycoproteins are neuraminidase (N) and hemagglutinin (H)-there are many subtypes of the H and N glycoproteins (H1N1 and H3N1 are the most common ones going around)
What are the 2 ways the flu can change?
point mutation- occurs every year- leading to antigenic drift genetic assortment (complete new virus strain from animals)- occurs few times in a century.
What is fetor oris?
smelly breath
Which organisms can cause pharyngitis (sore throat)?
strep pyogenes (group A strep)
Epstein barr virus (causes glandular fever)
other bacteria-(group C G strep, arcanobacterium, diphtheria very rarely)