Paramyxoviridae -- Morbillivirus -- Measles Flashcards
Natural Hosts?
Humans
Especially life threatening where?
For children in developing countries
What does highly communicative mean?
Very likely to spread
How many antigenic types?
One
Rapidly inactivated by…
Heat and Light
Viremia?
Yes
Characterizations of Measles?
URT infection
Maculopapular rash
Fever above 104 in the first week
What is the buzz word to look for?
Koplik Spots
What are Koplik spots?
Red spots with bluish-white specks in their centers
Appear opposite 2nd molars
Describe the measles timeline…
Day 1 – Mild fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis
Day 3-4 – Koplik Spots, Fever Spike, Red Blotchy Rash
Continuing – Rash spreads down body and back up
Described in class as most important symptom in developing countries. Treatment?
Karatitis, leading to blindness
Vitamin A
Name two very rare complications of measles.
Encephalitis
Subacute sclerosing Panencephalitis
What happens with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis?
Immune resistant measles. Degenerative CNS disease
Probably fatal, if not, severely mentally impaired
Destroys M protein, Can’t get out, Causes Cell Death
How does measles spread?
Contact, Aerosols
Why do we care about viremia?
Primary viremia hits reticuloendothelial system, where extensive replication takes place. Second viremia gives virus to mucosa, skin, and CNS
