Primary Immunodeficiencies Flashcards
What cells make up the innate immune system?
Neutrophils, macropahges, eosinophils, NK cells, dendritic cells
Big picture: what do B / T cell deficiencies cause?
- B cell deficiency → bacterial infections
* T cell deficiency → viral / fungal infections
Timeline of diff types of immunodeficiencies
- First 3-6 months of life: Immune deficiencies that affect neutrophils and T cells present early in life.
- 6-18 months: B cells normally show up here, so absence causes problems b/c mother’s IgG usually wanes after first 6 months.
- Later: Complement deficiencies may cause problems w/ Neisseria infection.
B cell deficiencies
Labs
Treatment
- Predispose to bacterial infections (especially encapsulated)
- Recurrent sinopulmonary infections or sepsis.
- Labs: Functional Abs – specific IgG, IgA, IgM to polysaccharide antigens, such as pneumo, diphtheria, or tetanus.
- Quantitative Ig
- CBC w/ differential
- HIV test
- Tx w/ IVIG when IgG levels are less than 800. If Px is IgA-deficient, IVIG and any other transfusions must not contain IgA due to risk of anaphylaxis. AB prophylaxis w/ TMP/sulfa.
T cell deficiencies
Predisposition
Associated Syndromes / Diseases
Predispose to viral / fungal infections (opportunistic)
Associated w/ DiGeorge Syndrome, Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome, SCID, eczema, and seborrheic dermatitis.
Neutrophil deficiencies Associated Disease Clues on physical exam Lab tests Treatment
- Predispose to recurrent abscesses and catalase+ organisms, such as Staph aureus, Serratia, and Aspergillus.
- Associated w/ Chronic Granulomatous Disease
- Physical exam: scars from old abscesses, gingivitis, early tooth loss
- Lab tests: CBC, flow cytometry, PMN function test w/ nitroblue tetrazolium (oxidative burst test; tests ability to generate superoxide)
- Superoxide causes blue precipitate in cells, indicating you do NOT have oxidative deficiency.
- Dihydrorhodamine test is more accurate than this.
- Bone marrow transplant may be curative
Complement deficiencies
Predisposition
Clues / Clinical Manifestations
Management
- Predispose to Recurrent Neisseria infections (meningitides and gonorrhoeae)
- Infection w/o sexual sxs is a clue to complement deficiency, primarily of the terminal complement components.
- May have septic arthritis or skin pustules from disseminated gonococcal infection.
- PMNs seen in CSF w/ intracellular gram neg diplococci
- Total complement test (CH50) and C3 / C4 test
- Px must be educated to seek medical attention promptly w/ fever or other sxs. Do blood cultures and start empiric AB’s in these cases.
- Px should get meningococcal vaccine
- STD education / prevention
SCID Stands for Age of presentation Pathology Management Treatment
- Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disorder
- Infections occur in first year of life. Failure to thrive.
- T and B cells are decreased, absent, or don’t function. Fatal w/o immune reconstitution in 1st year of life.
- Management – Protective isolation, antimicrobial prophylaxis, IVIG, no live vaccines (such as rotavirus vaccine), irradiated CMV neg blood products.
- Tx w/ stem cell transplant, gene therapy, PEG-ADA, and thymic transplant.
- PEG-ADA: polyethylene glycol-conjugated adenosine deaminase
Clues to diagnosis of SCID
- CD3 is T cell marker, CD19 is B cell marker. Both are usually low. Detect w/ flow cytometry.
- T cell count less than 300 makes you think of typical SCID
- T cell Receptor Excision Circles (TRECs), which indicate rearrangement of T cell receptor, are reduced in all forms of SCID. Mutation may occur at many diff steps.
- TRECs are Biomarker of thymic function. Detected by PCR
DiGeorge Syndrome Deletion Clinical triad Phenotype Pathophysiology Diagnosis Treatment
- 22q11.2 micro deletion (most common micro deletion)
- Clinical triad – conotruncal cardiac anomaly (Tetralogy of Fallot), hypoplastic thymus, and hypocalcemia
- Hypoplastic thymus → low T cells → low cell-mediated immune response. Requires immune reconstitution.
- Phenotype – Ocular hypertelorism, Downturning eyes, Hooded eyelids, Low-set posteriorly rotated ears, Widened area below nasal bridge, Bulbous nose tip, Micrognathia (small jaw), Short philtrum, High arched palate, Submucosal cleft palate/bifid uvula, Tapered fingers
- Pathophysiology – teratogens (accutane, alcohol, maternal diabetes) that inhibit neural crest cell migration at critical times can result in DGS w/ chromosomal defects.
- Diagnosis: Look for microdeletion w/ FISH. Stimulate chromosomes w/ PHA to induce mitosis.
- No live vaccines. Tx w/ thymic transplant.
CATCH 22
DiGeorge
•C: cardiac abnormalities, such as Tetrology of Fallot
•A: abnormal facies
•T: Thymus aplasia, causes T cell deficiency
•C: cleft palate
•H: hypocalcemia or hypoplastic parathyroid
•22q11 deletion
CVID Name Age of presentation Pathophysiology Treatment
- Common Variable Immunodeficiency
- Inherited PI that presents after early childhood. Bimodal age of onset: first and third decades of life.
- Pathophys: Normal B and T-cells but inability to make Abs. B cell memory defect (CD27 cells). Low IgG + low IgM or IgA. Poor response to vaccines. Increased incidence of lymphoid malignancy, autoimmune disease, and atopy
- Treatment – IVIG, aggressive AB’s, immunosuppression for autoimmune problems, possibly bone marrow transplant.
CVID Autoimmune manifestations
Heme, GI, rheumatologic, endocrine, dermatologic, neurologic
- Hematologic: autoimmune cytopenias
- GI: pernicious anemia, celiac, IBD
- Rheumatologic: SLE, RA, JRA (juvenile), vasculitis
- Endocrine: Hashimoto’s, T1DM
- Dermatologic: vitiligo, alopecia
- Neurologic: Guillain-Barre
Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome (WAS) Normal function of WAS protein Pathophys Clinical manifestations Treatment
- X linked recessive immunodeficiency secondary to dysfunction of actin cytoskeleton
- WAS protein is normally expressed in hematopoietic cells and functions in modulating actin.
- Recurrent infections, thrombocytopenia, increased risk for autoimmunity and malignancy, eczema
- Tx w/ stem cell transplant
X-Linked Lymphoproliferative Disorder (XLP)
Pathophysiology
- Severe immune dysregulation after EBV infection.
- Caused by mutation in SLAM-associated protein (SAP), which is necessary for NKT cell development and CD8 T cell responses to EBV infection.
- May involve fatal mononucleosis, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, lymphoma, and aplastic anemia.
Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD) Cause Genetic Mutation Pxs at risk Increased risk of what type of infections? Clinical manifestations Diagnosis Treatment
- Inherited neutrophil defect – Caused by failure of phagocytes to produce H2O2 and superoxide due to problems in NADPH generation from hexose monophosphate shunt.
- Most common genetic mutation is XLR, gp91 deficiency. X-linked, so more common in teenage boys.
- Infection w/ catalase positive bacteria / Microbes that require highly reactive bacteriocidal oxidative metabolites: S. aureus, Klebsiella, Aspergillus, Burkholderia, Serratia
- Recurrent abscesses, pneumonia, osteomyelitis
- Gingivitis, poor wound healing, colitis, gastric / urinary tract obstruction
- Diagnosis: Detect poor oxidative activation w/ dihydrorhodamine test
- Treatment – Antimicrobial prophylaxis, IFg prophylaxis, steroids for inflammation, bone marrow transplant, gene therapy.
Tests for T Cell Deficiencies
- Quantitative T cell test: skin test (testing for delayed type hypersensitivity). Candida skin test is good b/c most people have been exposed to it.
- Quantitative Ig: T cell dysfunction may inhibit activation of B cells → inability to make Abs.
- Presence / absence of thymic shadow on X ray
Treating T cell deficiencies
•Tx of choice is bone marrow transplant
•IVIG b/c if T cells are really low, Abs are prob not being made
•Oral fluconasole for candidiasis.
•Prophylactic antimicrobials, including TMP/sulfa for bacteria, fluconazole
for fungi, antivirals for influenza (in season). Monoclonal antibody for RSV.
•Avoid live vaccines
•Irradiate any blood cell infusions to prevent GVHD.
Pathognomonic for PJP
Hypoxia out of proportion to CXR b/c may not see infiltrates. Usually interstitial infiltrates if they are present.