Module 4 Flashcards
immunodeficiency
disorder or conditions where the IS has reduced function or is absent and can be traced to the failure of one or more parts of IS
two main types of immunodeficiencies
- primary immunodeficiency
- secondary immunodeficiency
primary immunodeficiency
congenital and derive from a genetic or developmental defect leading to abnormal maturation of IS
- may be associated with defects in innate or adaptive IS
congenital
present from birth
B-cell deficiencies prevalence
65%
T-cell deficiencies prevalence
5%
complement deficiencies
5%
phagocytic deficiencies
10%
combined T- and B-cell deficiencies
15%
why are primary immunodeficiencies rare?
because the fetus doesn’t usually survive the defect
secondary immunodeficiency
acquired and result from environmental factors affecting and compromising the IS
causes of secondary immunodeficiency
- undergoing chemotherapy treatment
- taking immunosuppressive medication
- contracting a chronic infection (HIV/AIDS)
- developing cancer
B-cell deficiencies
characterized by dysfunctional B lymphocytes or a decrease in prevalence
- B-cells are key cells of humoral immunity as they produce large quantities of antibodies
deficiency in B-cell development
results in an increased susceptibility to infection, especially by encapsulated bacteria
ex of B-cell deficiencies
During pregnancy and breastfeeding, the mother transfers IgGs to baby and around 7-9 months the antibody pool from mother decreases and due to B-cell deficiency, the infant is not able to synthesize normal levels of antibodies to compensate
encapsulated bacteria
Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria with the unifying feature of being the production of capsule composed of polysaccharides
clinical example of B-cell deficiencies
X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA)
x-linked agammaglobulineamia (xla)
- rare genetic disorder
- linked and recessive, therefore occurs almost exclusively in males
- patients do not develop mature B cells and as a result have extremely low levels of IgG and lack all other immunoglobins
XLA and infection
- XLA patients are extremely susceptible to bacterial infections
- their susceptibility to viral and fungal infections remains unchanged – due to cell-mediated response remaining normal
T-cell deficiencies
characterized by dysfunctional T-lymphocytes or a decrease in their prevalence
- T-lymphocytes are key cells of cell-mediated immunity as they kill infected or abnormal cells
deficiency in T-lymphocytes
results in an increased susceptibility to viruses, protozoans and fungi
- often characterized by frequent infections beginning 3-4 months after birth
example of T-cell deficiencies
pneumonia and candidiasis
clinical example of T-cell deficiencies
digeorge syndrome
digeorge syndrome
complex disease caused by the deletion of a small segment of chromosome 22
symptoms of digeorge syndrome
- patients have an absent or underdeveloped thymus which results on absence of mature T-cells
- experience abnormalities in the heart, face and palate + learning disabilities
complement deficiencies
- complement system involves intricate regulation of nine components
- genetic deficiencies have been described for each of these complement components
patients with complement deficiencies are prone to what?
frequent sever bacterial infections and complications arising from inability to clear immune complexes
C3 deficiencies
C3 deficiencies display the severest symptoms, reflective of the central role played by this component in complement activities
clinical example of complement deficiencies
hereditary angioedema (HAE)
hereditary angioedema (HAE)
deficiencies in proteins that regulate complement pathways
- patients with HAE lack a regular of C1
symptoms of HAE
- swelling of face
- lips
- larynx
- GI tract
***swelling of larynx and GI tract are concerning cause this can lead to suffocation or acute abdominal pain
phagocytic deficiencies
can appear at various stages of phagocytosis
- phagocytosis is an important part of innate immunity as extracellular pathogens are engulfed and destroyed within a phagocyte
defective phagocytosis and infection
bacterial and fungal infections are frequent and severe often causing deep abscesses in patients
clinical example of phagocytic deficiencies
chronic granulomatous disease (CGD)
chronic granulomatous disease (CGD)
rare inherited disease where the body’s phagocytes do not make the chemicals needed to kill phagocytosed bacteria
where does CGD derive its name from?
tendency of patients with this disease to form non-malignant granulomas in order to attempt to separate foreign materials from the rest of the body
non-malignant granulomas
small, nodular aggregations of immune cells
combined T-cell and B-cell deficiencies
- individuals with both deficiencies have dysfunctional and/or low numbers of lymphocytes
- both humoral and cell-mediated responses of the adaptive immune system are compromised
what is combined T-cell and B-cell deficiencies characterized by?
- too little or no resistence to infection thus pathogens that cause mild diseases in average human may be life threatening
- patients with this often suffer fatal infections within first year of life
clinical example of combined T-cell and B-cell deficiencies
severe combined inherited immunodeficiency (SCID)
severe combined inherited immunodeficiency (SCID)
- david Vetter suffered from SCID and was rained in a sterile room to prevent him from getting infections for 12 years
- a space suit invented by NASA allowed him to venture a short distance away from the room
- passed away at age of 12, after bone marrow transplant (intended to treat SCID) that contained an unexpected infectious agent
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
defined by describing combination of words used to make up its name
aquired (AIDS)
individuals do NOT inherit this type of disease (big difference between AIDS and primary ID)
immunodeficiency (AIDS)
one disease characteristic that is common is breakdown of immune system
sydrome (AIDS)
the plethora of rare but ravaging diseases that take advantage of the body’s collapsed deficiencies
AIDS
- final stage of an acute and chronic HIV infection
- many AIDS patients die from opportunistic infections as their IS is compromised and unable to effectively protect and defend the body
mode of transmission of HIV
- varies depending on location
- without treatment the outcome is the same regardless of portal of entry
outcome of HIV
- immunosuppression
- neuropsychiatric abnormalities
- death
mode of transmission in north america
sexual intercourse
mode of transmission in eastern europe and central asia
use of non-sterile injections of drugs
mode of transmission in sub-saharan africa
heterosexual sex with a concomitant epidemic in children through vertical transmission (mother-to-child)
HIV primary infection
- most people mount an effective IR to virus for the first couple weeks
- over this time this response will prove ineffective through the various stages of disease as HIV virus compromises individuals IS
HIV acute infection
- HIV targets and infects cells with CD4 on their surface including CD4+ helper T cells
- viral infection causes a drastic decrease in level of CD4+ helper T cells while the level of virus in blood increases
what happens within 2-4 weeks after primary exposure to HIV?
some people will experience flu-like symptoms including fever, headache, and rash
level of HIV in blood during acute infection phase
high
- this greatly increases risk of HIV transmission
why do CD4+ helper T-cells increase after initial decrease?
because some antibodies are formed against the virus allowing IS to recover some of lost cell population
chronic infection
- HIV continues to multiply in the body at a steady state
- anti-HIV antibodies are detectable during this phase
- HIV can begin to evade the immune response that is present by changing their antigens through high mutation rates
HIV chronic infection symptoms
people with chronic HIV don’t have symptoms but transmission is still possible
length of chronic infection phase of HIV
8-10 years
HIV - AIDS
- CD4+ helper T-cells get “exhausted” and depleted while constantly fighting a chronic HIV infection
- viral load drastically increases as the virus continues to acquire mutations that allow it to further avoid immune defenses
- as IS is severely weakened patient become susceptible to opportunistic infections
when do HIV patients get diagnosed with AIDS?
when they have CD4+ helper T-cell level of less than 200 cells/mm3
how long do AIDS patients survive in the absence of treatment?
about 3 years
when was the first antiretroviral therapy approved?
1987
what does antiretroviral therapy do?
these drugs do not kill or cure human human immunodeficiency virus, but prevent it from replicating
combination retroviral therapy (types)
antiretroviral therapy (ART) and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)
combination retroviral therapy
utilizes a panel of antiretroviral drugs in different combinations to prevent drug resistance by the rapidly-mutating virus
benefit of combination retroviral therapy
this treatment has led to staggering declines in rates of AIDS and AIDS-associated deaths
HAART
maintains function of immune system and prevents opportunistic infections that often lead to death
WHO and HAART
700 000 lives saved in 2010 alone due to increased availability of antiretroviral therapy
- since HAART, HIV almost never progresses into AIDS
4 things ART does
- reduced amount of HIV in the body
- protects immune system
- prevents HIV from advancing to AIDS
- reduces the risk of HIV transmission
what do B-cell deficiencies increase susceptibility to?
bacterial infections (encapsulated bacteria)
what do phagocytic deficiencies increase susceptibility to?
frequent, severe bacterial and fungal infections (deep abscesses)
what do T-cell deficiencies increase susceptibility to?
- viruses
- protozoan
- fungal infections
what do complement deficiencies increase susceptibility to?
bacteria infections (accumulation of immune complexes)
what do B- and T-cell deficiencies increase susceptibility to?
all infectious agents
what immune components are compromised with B-cell deficiencies?
antibodies
what immune components are compromised with phagocytic deficiencies?
innate immunity
what immune components are compromised with T-cell deficiencies?
cell-mediated immunity
what immune components are compromised with complement deficiencies?
proteins C1 to C9
what immune components are compromised with B- and T-cell deficiencies?
lymphocytes
screening techniques for immunodeficiencies
methods or strategies used to identify the possible presence of a disease in individuals who may be pre-symptomatic or have unrecognized symptoms of the disease
what is the purpose of screening techniques for immunodeficiencies?
allows for early intervention and management of disease in effort to reduce suffering and/or mortality
2 major screening methods for primary and secondary immunodeficiency
- complete blood counts (CBC)
- quantitative serum immunoglobin
complete blood counts (CBC)
- shows how many of each cell type are present in a small sample of patient’s blood – these number are then compared to a reference range of values commonly found in healthy people
- used to highlight any severe defects in the blood that could potentially be caused by an immunodeficiency
quantitative serum immunoglobin
- measure the levels of IgG, IgA and IgM in a patients blood serum and compare them to a control
- complete blood counts and urine protein electrophoresis can be used to pinpoint the source of the hypogammaglobulinemia
what does it mean if levels of antibodies are lower than normal (hypogammaglobulinemia)
could be an indication of a humoral immunodeficiancy
urine protein electrophoresis
a screening test to evaluate the amount of certain proteins in urine
mononucleosis
a contagious infectious disease often cause by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
how is mononucleosis spread?
saliva (kissing-disease)
symptoms of mononucleosis
causes a glandular fever and extended feeling of tiredness even months after initial infection is resolved
white blood count
count of all immune cells (white blood cells or leukocytes)
what is low WBC indicative of?
weakened IR
- means there is a decreased number of WBC present to fight infection
HIV and test window
9-14 day window so it does not show its positive on the HIV test
- if HIV was acquired in the last 9-14 days it will say you’re negative
self-regulation
allows the body to regulate and maintain a healthy immune system
- BODY must be capable of recognizing its own healthy cells as well as infected/abnormal cells that may be harmful and subsequently destroy them