Respiratory infections and COVID-19 Flashcards
What bacteria cause respiratory tract infections?
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Legionella pneumophila
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
What coronaviruses cause respiratory infections?
Rhinovirus
Influenza
- RSV
- parainfluenza virus
Coronavirus
- Human coronaviruses
- SARS coronavirus 2
What fungi cause respiratory tract infections?
Aspergillus fumigatus
Pneumocystis jirovecii
Which part of the respiratory tract is exposed to pathogens normally?
Lungs constantly exposed to particulate material and microbes from upper airway
Lower airways usually devoid of conventional pathogens
What are the innate immunity features in the respiratory tract?
Cilia – mucociliary escalator removing debris and pathogens
Alveolar macrophages
- secrete antimicrobials
- engulf and kill pathogens
- recruit other immune cells
- process and present antigens to T cells
What are the acquired immunity features in the respiratory tract?
B cell/T cell responses - essential for intracellular pathogens, such as mycobacteria, viruses and fungi
IgA secreted by plasma cells interferes with adherence and viral assembly
What is inflammation?
Inflammation = body’s response to insult
Acute or chronic
What are the macro features of inflammation?
Macro = redness, swelling, heat, pain and loss of function
What are the micro features of inflammation?
Micro = vasodilation, increased vascular permeability and inflammatory cell infiltration
What are the 5 infections of the upper respiratory tract?
Rhinitis
Sinusitis
Pharyngitis
Tonsillitis
Laryngitis
What are the 6 infections of the lower respiratory tract?
Bronchitis
Bronchiolitis
Pneumonia
Pulmonary tuberculosis
Pulmonary abscesses
Empyema
What is the difference between the 5 respiratory viruses?
Rhinovirus: common cold
Influenza: ‘flu’
Coronavirus: human: common cold
zoonotic: severe respiratory illness
RSV: bronchiolitis
Parainfluenza virus: croup (
Are viral UTRIs more common as children or adults?
5-7x/year in preschool children; 2-3/year in adulthood.
Colds account for _____% of all time lost from work for sickness
40%
Which respiratory illness has >200 viral subtypes associated?
Common cold
Which viruses cause the common cold?
Rhinovirus = commonest; cause 30-50%
Human coronaviruses cause about 10 to 15 percent of common colds
How are common colds transmissed?
Hand contact: virus remains viable for up to 2 hours on skin or several hours on surfaces
Droplet transmission from sneezing / coughing / breathing
What is the incubation period and symptomatic period for common colds?
IP 2-3 days; symptoms last 3-10ds, and up to 2 weeks in 25% patients.
What causes the symptoms of a cold?
Bradykinin: intranasal administration of bradykinin causes a sore throat; it also causes nasal congestion due to vasodilation
Sneezing is mediated by stimulation of the trigeminal sensory nerves - histamine mediated
Nasal discharge (snot) changes colour with increasing numbers of neutrophils (white ->yellow->green) due to myeloperoxidase
Cough is mediated by the vagus nerve – inflammation has to extend to the larynx to trigger this; hyper-reactive response in URTI
Cytokines responsible for systemic symptoms such as fever
How can you tell the difference between a cold and an influenza-like illness (’flu’)?
What is influenza caused by?
Caused by Influenza A or B virus.
When does influenza spread most?
Occurs in outbreaks and epidemics worldwide; usually in winter season, so swaps hemispheres over the course of the year.
What are the features of uncomplicated influenza?
Incubation Period 1-4 days
Abrupt onset of fever+ cough, headache, myalgia and malaise, sore throat, nasal discharge
Acutely debilitating.
Fever 38-41; otherwise examination often unremarkable
What are the risk groups for complications in influenza?
Immunosuppression or chronic medical conditions
Pregnancy or 2 weeks postpartum
Age <2y or >65y
BMI >40
What are the possible complications of influenza?
Primary viral pneumonia
Secondary bacterial pneumonia
CNS disease
Death (estimated mortality rate among people infected with influenza in the US is about 0.13 percent)
What are the 3 problems a virus must solve?
It must know how to replicate inside a cell
It must move from one infected cell to a new cell (and a new host) in order to persist in nature
It must develop mechanisms to evade host defences
How do influenza viruses enter the cell?
The influenza virus haemagglutinin surface protein (H) binds sialic acids on cell surface glycoproteins and glycolipids in the respiratory tract. This allows the influenza virus to enter the cell.
How do influenza viruses escape?
The neuraminidase (N) on the surface of the virus allows the virus to escape by cleaving sialic acid bonds – otherwise the escaping virions all clump together.
What is the benefit of the influenza virus having a segmented genome?
The influenza virus has a segmented genome (8 parts) so can reassort if 2 different viruses infect the same cell.
Complete the diagram on the lifecycle of a virus
What is antigenic drift?
These are small changes (or mutations) in the genes of influenza viruses that can lead to changes in the surface proteins of the virus: HA (hemagglutinin) and NA (neuraminidase).
What is antigenic shift?
Antigenic shift is an abrupt, major change in an influenza A virus, resulting in new HA and/or new HA and NA proteins in influenza viruses that infect humans.
What are the options for treatment and prevention of influenza?
Active immunisation – against haemagglutinin and neuraminidase components
Tamiflu = oseltamivir = a neuraminidase inhibitor
Hand hygiene and droplet precautions