Respiratory tract infections Flashcards
Describe the infections that affect the following areas:
- Upper respiratory tract
- Lower respiratory tract
- Upper respiratory tract:
- Sinusitis
- Tonsillitis
- Lower respiratory tract:
- Bronchitis
- Pneumonia
- Empyema
- Bronchiectasis
- Lung abscess
Describe how the following can cause a compromise to normal host defences:
- Muscle weakness
- Cystic fibrosis
- Smoking/Kartagener’s
- Bronchiectasis
- HIV/immunosuppression
- Muscle weakness/alcohol - can lead to poor swallow
- Cystic fibrosis leads to thick/abnormal mucous - so poor removal of bugs
- Smoking and Kartagener’s can lead to abnormal ciliary function, and reduce clearance of any infection in the airways
- Bronchiectasis leads to dilated airways
- HIV/immunosuppression leads to general defects in host immunity
All of these cause a higher risk of an infection, and often rare conditions
Case 1:
18 year old woman presents with fever, cough and malaise
Diagnosed with flu by GP. No abx given. Now presents to A&E
Obs:
- Temp 38 degrees
- Sats 87% OA
- RR 24
- Chest - clear
- Bloods: WCC=40.8, Neutrophils = 36.3 and CRP = 63
- What do the images show?
- What she is likely to have?
- What is the likely organism out of the following:
a) Pseudomonas aeruginosa
b) Mycobacterium tuberculosis
c) Legionella pneumophilia
d) Streptococcus pneunomiae
e) Staphylococcus aureus
- The CT shows densely consolidated and collapsed lower lobe
- She has developed a left lower lobe pneumonia
- d) Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most likely causative organism
Describe the following about s.pneumonia
- Type of bacteria
- Onset
- ABx
- Gram positive streptococcus and accounts for 30-50% of CAP
- Acute onset
- Severe pneumonia
- Fever, rigors
- Lobar consolidation
- Almost always penicillin sensitive
Describe pneumonia
- What is it?
- Mortality
- Presentation
- Pneumonia is inflammation of the lung alveoli
- Patients are sick - mortality is 5-10%, 20-40% for those that are admitted to hospital
- Presentation:
- Fever
- Cough
- Pleuritic chest pain
- Shortness of breath
Often localized signs and abnormal CXR
What are the main organisms that cause community aquired pneumonia?
- Streptococcus pneumoniae - gram positive
- Haemophilus influenzae - gram negative coccobacillary
- Moraxella catarrhalis - (neisseria) - gram negative diplococcus
- Staphylococcus aureus - gram positive cocci
- Klebsiella pneumoniae - gram negative, encapsulated
What are the main pathogens that cause respiratory infections in the following age groups:
- 0-1months
- 1-6 months
- 6months - 5 years
- 16-30 years
- E.coli, GBS, Listeria
- Chlyamydia trachomatis, S aureus, RSV
- Mycoplasma, influenza
- M.pneumoniae, S. pneumoniae
- What are the main causes of typical CAP?
- What are the causes of atypical CAP?
- Typical accounts for 85%
- S. pnuemoniae
- H. influenzae
- Atypical 15%
- Legionella
- Mycoplasma - epidemics every 4-6 years
- Coxiella burnetti (Q-fever) - farm animals, hepatitis
- Chlamydia psittaci - exposure to birds - causes splenomegaly, rash and haemolytic anaemia
What are the symptoms of pneumonia?
- SOB
- Cough +/- sputum
- Fever
- Rigors
- Pleuritic chest pain
- Malaise
- Nausea and vomiting
What are the signs on examination of pneumonia?
- Pyrexia
- Tachycardia
- Tachypnoea
- Cyanosis
- Dullness to percussion, tactile vocal fremitus - consolidation
- Bronchial breathing
- Crackles
What are the investigations for pneumonia?
- FBC, U&E, CRP
- Blood cultures, sputum MC&S
- ABG
- CXR
- What is the CURB-65 score?
- Treatment of pneumonia
- CURB-65
- Confusion
- Urea >7mmol/l
- Respiratory rate >30
- BP<90 systolic, <60 diastolic
- >65 years
A score of up to 2, think about admitting. However if the score is 2-5 - treat as severe pneumonia
- Treat supportively - oxygen, anti-pyrexials, and fluids if dehydrated.
ABx - take a blood culture to make sure the right ABx is being used. However, usually responsive to broad spectrum penicillin e.g. Levofloxacin
Bronchitis
- What is it?
- Signs and symptoms
- CXR results
- Organisms that can cause it
- Treatment
- Bronchitis is inflammation of medium sized airways, occurs mainly in smokers
- Signs and symptoms:
- Cough
- Fever
- Increased sputum prodction
- Increased SOB
- Chest X-ray is normal
- Organisms:
- Viruses
- S.pneumoniae
- H.influenzae
- M. catarhalis
- Treatment
- Bronchodilation
- Physiotherapy +/- Abx
Case
56 year old man with a flu-like illness presents with cough and fever. Blood stained sputum, pyrexial but not severely unwell
- What does the x-ray show?
- What does he have?
- What is the likely causative organism? One of the following:
a) Streptococcus pneumonia
b) Haemophilus influenzae
c) Staphylococcus aureus
d) Klebsiella pneumoniae
e) any of the above
- Cavitation on X-ray in the left lower lobe
- Left lower lobe pneumonia
- b) haemophilus influenzae
Describe Haemophilus influenzae
- Gram -ve coccobacillus
- 15-35% of CAP
- more common in pre-existing lung disease
- May produce Beta - lactamase