Session 4 - Healthcare infection Flashcards
What is a healthcare infection?
Infections arising as a consequence of providing healthcare in hospital patients, workers and visitors which was neither present nor incubating at time of admission.
What patient factors predispose to a healthcare infection??
- Extremes of age
- Obesity/malnourished
- Diabetes
- Immunosuppressed
- Smoker
- Surgery
What are +ve and -ve pressure rooms and when is each used?
+ve pressure - air can leave but not enter, used for immunocompromised patients
-ve pressure - air can enter but not leave, used for infectious patients
What are the characteristics of c. difficle?
Bacillus, gram +ve
What are the signs and symptoms of a c. difficile infection?
- Significant diarrhea
- Recent antibiotic exposure
- Fever
- Distinctive foul stool odour
What is the pathogenesis of a c. difficile infection?
- Use of antibiotics alters normal flora of bowel.
- Competing bacteria killed off and C. difficile can then proliferate with less competition.
- C. difficile then produces large quantities of toxins which inflame the bowel
How do you identify C. difficile?
Use a cytotoxicity assay
How do you treat a C. difficile infection?
vacomycin or metronidazole, stool transplant. Oral rehydration therapy to treat the diarrhoea
Describe the characteristics of Staph. aureus
- Gram positive
- Cocci
- Coagulase positive
What are the signs and symptoms of a staph aureus infection?
- Infections of skin and soft tissue
- Sepsis
What is the pathogenesis of a staph aureus infection?
Invades tissue when skin breached.
Produces toxins which damage the body.
What drug is used to treat staph aureus?
Flucloxacillin
What are the characteristics of norovirus?
ssRNA, non enveloped
What are the signs and symptoms of a norovirus infection?
- Nausea
- Forceful vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Abdominal pain
What is the pathogenesis of the norovirus?
- Virus replicates in small intestine
- Acute gastroenteritis
