P- Pulmonary Infections Flashcards
Pneumonia (infection of the lung parenchyma) can occur when host defenses are breached. What are the 6 most common causes of this?
- loss of cough reflex
- injury to mucociliary apparatus
- alveolar macrophage dysfunction
- immune defects
- immunosuppressive therapy
- leukopenia
What are 4 situations that could cause the loss or suppression of cough reflex?
- coma
- anesthesia
- neuromuscular disorder
- drugs –> aspiration or gastric contents
What are 4 things that can injure the mucociliary apparatus leading to pneumonia?
- smoking
- hot/corrosive gas
- viral infections
- Kartagener’s (ciliary impairment)
What are 4 causes of alveolar macrophage dysfunction?
- alcohol
- smoke
- anoxia (complete of oxygen)
- oxygen intoxication
Defects in innate or humoral immunity lead to infections by ___________ while defects in cell-mediated immunity lead to infections with ___________________ like ______ and _______ or low virulence organisms like _________________.
Humoral = pyogenic bacteria
CMI :
- intracellular pathogens like herpesvirus or mycobacteria
- low virulence like pneumocystis
What are the 3 most common infections that leukopenia predisposes a person to?
- aspergillus
- fusarium
- zygomycetes
What are the 3 general ways pneumonias can be classified?
- clinical setting - to guide initiation of empiric therapy
- identity of the pathogen - directed therapy
- lobar vs. bronchopneumonia
What is the cause of most cases of community acquired acute pneumonia?
(_______following a _________)
What is the typical clinical presentation?
bacterial infection following a viral URI
Rapid onset with high fever, chills, pleuritic chest pain, cough with purulent sputum, hemoptysis
What are the 4 major risk factors for CAAP?
- Chronic disease: COPD, diabetes, CHF
- Immunodeficiency
- extremes of age
- asplenia/splenic dysfunction (sickle cell)
What are the five infectious agents associated with CAAP (community acquired acute pneumonia)?
When they are cultured, which do you perform susceptibility testing on before giving antibiotic?
- Streptococcus pneumoniae- susceptibility testing
- Haemophilus influenza
- Moraxella catarrhalis
- S. aureus- susceptibility (oxacillin and vancomycin)
- Klebsiella pneumoniae
What would cause a sputum test submitted for pneumonia to be rejected by the microbiology lab?
If it is found to have oropharyngeal bacteria it will not be representative of lower respiratory tract contents and will be rejected.
How do you know that a sample is sputum and not “spit” (thus coming from the lower respiratory tract and not oropharyngeal)?
Sputum - neutrophils, mucus, very FEW squamous epithelial cells
You did a sputum gram stain and noticed lancet shaped G+ diplococci in the background of neutrophils. What is the suspected organisms?
What also needs to be present for this to be considered diagnostic?
What test is more specific but less sensitive that can be used to confirm?
S. pneumonia is likely, but pneumococci can also be found in normal oropharyngeal flora, so the gram stain and culture must have:
- CONSIDERABLE amounts of the organism
2, virtual absence of other flora
Positive blood culture is more specific but less sensitive so it will often come up negative
What are the 4 major infections causes by S. pneumoniae?
- pneumonia
- otitis media
- sinusitis
- conjunctivitis
How is S. pneumonia treated?
How can it potentially be prevented?
It is treated with quinolones and/or beta lactams.
there is a vaccine but it is available for high risk groups (elderly, immunocompromised, splenectomized individuals)
Describe the gram staining capabilities of H. influenza.
What are the requirements for culturing it?
What are the 2 major subgroups of H. flu?
Which used to cause meningitis, septicemia, septic arthritis and epiglottitis? Why doesn’t it anymore?
H influenza is a small gram negative rod that is normally found in the oropharyngeal flora
To culture it, you must use chocolate agar.
1. Encapsulated (a-f)- type B caused meningitis, arthritis, septicemia, epiglottitis. A vaccine was developed in the 80s so it is less prevelant
2. Unencapsulated - most diseases today
What is the most common bacterial cause of acute exacerbations of COPD?
This bacteria has also been implicated in CF, otitis media, epiglottitis and sinusitis.
Haemophilus influenza
H. influenza is the most common bacterial exacerbation of ________, but also causes infections in patients with __________.
However, most infections are ______, _______, and __________.
COPD, but also causes infection in cystic fibrosis patients.
Most common:
- sinusitis
- otitis media
- epiglottitis
You take a sputum sample from someone with CAAP. You perform a gram stain and see G- diplococci.
What do you think the organism is?
What type of plates can it be cultured on?
What drug can NOT be used to treat it?
Moraxella catarrhalis - common exacerbation of COPD
Culture it on blood agar/chocolate agar
You cannot use ampicillin because all strains of M catarrhalis produce a beta lactamase
What organism is an important cause of secondary pneumonias in patients with antecedent viral infections like measles and influenza?
S. aureus
What do lung infections with s. aureus lead to?
What can these infections occur as a by-product of?
Leads to:
empyema
abscesses
S. aureus lung infection can occur as a by-product of right sided endocarditis in IV drug users, or as a byproduct of nosocomial infection
Susceptibility testing for s. aureus are directed at what two drugs?
- oxacillin resistance - MRSA, most beta lactams don’t work
- vancomycin-resistance - rare in the US
A chronic alcoholic comes into the hospital and is suspected of CAAP. You do a sputum gram stain and notice large gram negative rods with thick, mucoid polysaccharide capsules. What is the suspected organisms?
Klebsiella pneumoniae- affects malnourished/debilitated
What is the main virulence/pathogenic factor of klebsiella pneumonia?
thick mucoid polysaccharide capsule
Describe lobar pneumonia.
What are the 4 stages?
Fibrinosuppurative consolidation in a large portion of lobe or whole lobe.
- Congestion
- red hepatization
- grey hepatization
- resolution
What is the gross appearance of congestion? What is the microscopic appearance?
Gross:
Thick, red, boggy, heavy lung
Microscopic:
Alveoli contain a few neutrophils, proteinaceous fluid, bacteria. Alveolar capillaries are congested with RBCs
What is the gross appearance of red hepatization? What is the microscopic appearance?
Gross:
Looks like a liver
Microscopic:
RBCs, neutrophils, fibrin fill the alveolar spaces
Describe the gross appearance of grey hepatization?
What is the microscopic appearance?
Gross:
dry, grey, firm
Microscopic:
RBCs lyse, intraalveolar exudate persists
What happens during resolution of lobar pneumonia after grey hepatization stage?
Alveolar exudate is digested making a fluid debris that is reabsorbed, ingested by macrophages, coughed up or swallowed.
How does the appearance of bronchopneumonia differ from lobar pneumonia?
Which is more likely to have pleural involvement?
Bronchopneumonia is more patchy and diffuse with the consolidation involving multiple lobes.
Usually bilateral and basal with an elevated, granular appearance.
Lobar pneumonia is more likely to involve the pleura
What are common complications of pneumonia if it doesn’t resolve without residual damage?
- empyema
- abscess formation
- organization with fibrosis
- bacteremic spread via septic emboli