Upper Respiratory Treact Infections Flashcards
Upper Respiratory Tract
- Nose
- Pharynx
- Paranasal sinuses
- Middle ear
- Larynx

URT
Normal Flora
Primarily coagulase-⊖ Staph and diphtheroids.
Colonization with Pneumococci, S. aureus, Moraxella, Haemophilus frequently present.
URT
Sterile Sites
Sinuses
Middle ear
Larynx
URT
Infections

Pharyngitis
Acute inflammation of the throat ⇒ pain on swallowing and a red, swollen phryngeal mucosa.
-
50-75% caused by viruses and Group A Strep
- Adenovirus 25%
- Rhinoviruses 20%
- Group A Strep 15-30%
- Peak incidence is 3-18 y/o
Otitis Media
Acute inflammation of the middle ear with fever and local pain.
- Purulent fluid accumulates behind a tense, red TM
- May discharge externally after TM rupture
-
Common in children < 3 y/o
- Most get 2-3/yr
- Frequently follows URT infection
- Most commonly caused by:
- Strep. pneumoniae
- Non-typable strains of Haemophilus influenzae
- Moraxella catarrhalis
- Treatment problematic d/t inc. abx resistance

Otitis Media
Risk Factors
- Eustacian tube flatter and more narrow in children
- URT can trap fluids ⇒ colonization by normal flora
- Feeding tilts child into position where tube is flatter & more connected to OP ⇒ fluid can back up

Otitis Media
Treatment
-
⅔ improve within 24 hours without abx
- 80% within 2-5 days
- Advise use of OTC pain relievers, anesthetic drops
-
Wait 24 hours before giving abx
- 24 months or older
- Otherwise healthy
- Mild sx or unclear dx
- Offer observation in 6-24 month olds
- Pathogens can cause meningitis ⇒ must monitor
Otitis Media
Bacterial Pathogens

Moraxella
Overview
- Moraxella catarrhalis ⇒ most important
- Related to Neisseriae
- Gram ⊖ diplococcus

Moraxella
Transmission
- Transmitted by respiratory secretions
- Transient carriage/colonization normally
- Colonization of URT in 40-50% of school children
-
Endogenous infection
- Usually precipitated by URT infection
Moraxella
Clinical Syndromes
- 3rd highest cause of otitis media and sinusitis
- Also causes bronchitis, PNA, and conjunctivitis
- Esp. the elderly, immunocompromised, or those with chronic pulmonary disease
Moraxella
Diagnosis
-
Small, coffee-bean shaped gram ⊖ diplococci
- Likes to lie side by side
- Strict aerobe
- Oxidase ⊕
-
Does not ferment carbs
- Unlike Neisseriae
- Grows well on blood agar
- Prefers chocolate agar

Moraxella
Treatment
~100% of strains are beta-lactamase producers
PCN resistant
Usually treat with cephalosporins
Haemophilus influenzae
Characteristics
- Small, gram ⊖ rods (cocco-bacillus)
- Complex nutritional requirements
- X factor ⇒ hematin
- V factor ⇒ NAD or NADP
- Grows well on chocolate agar
- Grows poorly on blood agar
- Small satellite colonies grow around colonies of S. aureus or other factor V excreting organisms ⇒ satellite phenomenon
- ± polysaccharide capsules
- Classified based on capsule type ⇒ typable vs non-typable

H. influenzae
Typable Strains
-
Encapsulated ⇒ Types a-f
- Typed based on antisera rxn to capsular polysaccharide
- HiB most invasive
- HiF incidence increasing
- Exogenous transmission
- Colonization uncommon
- ~5% of children
- < 0.5% of adults
- 1° pathogens ⇒ meningitis, bacteremia, epiglottitis
H. influenzae
Non-Typable Strains
- Non-encapsulated
- Colonize 60-90% of children, 30-50% of adults
- Endogenous transmission
- Opportunistic ⇒ otitis media, sinusitis, pharyngitis, PNA
H. influenzae
Transmission & Epidemiology
- Transmitted by respiratory secretions
-
Severe disease 1° in children 6-18 m/o and the elderly
- Ab levels lowest
- PRP polysaccharide is a T-cell independent Ag
- B-cell response to PRP poor under 18 m/o
- Systemic spread only typical for encapsulated strains
- Esp. HiB
- Bacteremia can lead to infection of CNS, bones, and joints
H. influenzae
Virulence Factors
-
Polysaccharide capsule
- Antiphagocytic
- Blocks complement activation
-
IgA protease
- Avoids immune response at mucosal surface
-
Outer membrane proteins
- Attachment and adherence
-
Endotoxin
- Gram ⊖
H. influenzae
Type B
- Most invasive strain
- Causes 90% of all H. influenzae infections
- Virulence due to unique polyribose-ribitol phosphate (PRP) capsule
- Contains pentose sugar
- ⊗ Phagocytosis
- ⊗ Alternative complement activation
- ⊗ Ciliary function
- Damages respiratory epithelium
- Penetrates epithelial and endothelial walls ⇒ dissemination
H. influenzae
Clinical Syndromes
- # 2 cause of otitis media and sinusitis
-
Epiglottitis
- HiB only
- PNA
- Prominent in pts w/ underlying lung disease or debilitating conditions like malnutrition, lung CA, alcoholism
- Bacteremia
- Mostly encapsulated strains only
- Meningitis
- HiB only
- Usually follows URT infection
- Most common in unimmunized children 5 m/o-5 y/o
- More cases before vaccine available
Acute Epiglottitis
- Caused by HiB only
-
Inflammed, swollen, cherry-red epiglottis
- Protrudes and obstructs airway
- Fever, sore throat, hoarseness, barking cough
- Can result in death due to suffocation if untreated
- Children < 6 y/o most at risk d/t smaller airways
- Local invasion ⇒ bacteremia ⇒ epiglottis

H. influenzae
Lab Diagnosis
- Fastidious
- Specimen from NP swab, pus, blood, or CSF for smears and culture
-
Grows on chocolate agar or BAP with X factor (hematin/hemin) and V factor (NAD)
- Does not grow on normal blood agar
- PRP capsular Ag of HiB released into body fluids
- Antigen detection methods ⇒ latex agglutination

H. influenzae
Immunity
-
Passive protection by maternal Ab
- No episodes until after 6 m/o
-
Opsonizing anti-capsular Ab
- Capsule-type specific
- Enhance phagocytosis by PMNs
- Bacteriolytic in presence of complement
- Active acquired Ab gradually increases up to ~ 10 y/o

H. influenzae
Treatment
- Ampicillin for 5-10 days
-
Some are beta-lactamase producers
- ~ 25% of HiB
- Higher % of unencapsulated strains
- Varies with region
- Via transmissible plasmid
-
Newer cephalosporins are drugs of choice
- Ceftriaxone, cefotaxime
H. influenzae
Prevention
- Vaccine composed of PRP + diphteria CRM197 protein
- Immunization of infants at 2, 4, and 6 m/o
- Greatly ↓ invasive disease esp. meningitis in young children

Bordetella
- Cause infection of human tracheobronchial epithelium
-
Bordetella pertussis most important
- Causes Pertussis aka “Whooping cough”
Pertussis
Epidemiology
“Whooping Cough”
- 30 mil cases and 300k deaths per year worldwide
- 21k cases and 7 deaths in US in 2016
Bordetella pertussis
Characteristics
- Gram ⊖ coccobacilli
- Strict aerobe
- Extracellular organism
- Fastidious and slow growing ⇒ takes 3-7 days
- Requires specialized media
- Charcoal blood agar
- Bordet-Gengou agar (blood-potato-glycerol)
- Solely a human pathogen

B. pertussis
Transmission & Epidemiology
- Exogenous transmission via respiratory secretions
-
Highly communicable
- Attack rate 90% in susceptible individuals
- Survives briefly outside of human respiratory tract
- Infection most common in children < 1 y/o & preterm infants
- Esp. dangerous during first 6 months of life
B. pertussis
Virulence Factors
-
Adhesins ⇒ pili proteins that mediate attachment to ciliated epithelium
- Filamentous hemagglutinin (Fha)
- Agglutinogens
-
Toxins ⇒ cause cell and tissue damage
-
Pertussis Toxin (PT)
- Major virulence factor
-
Invasive adenylate cyclase
- Enters host cell and ↑ cAMP levels
- Hemolytic
- Interferes with chemotaxis and superoxide production of PMNs
- Tracheal cytotoxin
- Hemolysin
- Dermonecrotic heat-labile toxin
-
Pertussis Toxin (PT)

Pertussis Toxin
(PT)
Major virulence factor
- ADPR-transferase
-
Classic A-B type exotoxin
-
A subunit (active) ⇒ transfers ADP-ribose from NAD to G protein that regulates adenylate cyclase activity
- Host cell cannot turn off cAMP production
- Cell loses control of ion flow and cellular processes
-
B subunit (binding) ⇒ mediate attachment to carb moieties on host cell surface
- Translocates A subunit across the membrane
-
A subunit (active) ⇒ transfers ADP-ribose from NAD to G protein that regulates adenylate cyclase activity
- Biological effects depend on cell type
- Histamine sensitization
- Lymphocytosis
- ↑ Mucus production
- Insulin secretion ⇒ hypoglycemia
-
Alteration of immune effector cell functions
- ↓ Oxidative killing capacity

B. pertussis
Pathogenesis
Organism remains in the URT.
Exotoxins move to LRT and throughout body.

Pertussis
Clinical Stages
Colonization of ciliated bronchial epithelium ⇒ incubation for 7-10 days.
Immobilization and destruction of epithelial cells.
No tissue invasion or dissemination.
3 stages of disease:
-
Catarrhal stage (1-2 weeks)
- Malaise, fever, sneezing, anorexia
- Profuse and mucoid rhinorrhea
- Highly communicable with large # of organisms in NP and mucoid secretions
-
Paroxysmal coughing stage (2-4 weeks)
- 40-50 coughing episodes per day
- Characteristic inspiratory whoop
- Air drawn through narrowed glottis
- Coughing and breathing disruption ⇒ child turns red or blue
- May result in vomiting or choking on respiratory secretions
- Lymphocytosis w/ 70-80% lymphocytes
-
Convalescent stage (3-4 weeks)
- Gradual fade of sx
- At risk for secondary complications

Pertussis
Complications
Usually limited to the URT.
Infrequent complications may include:
-
Bronchopneumonia
- Either due to B. pertussis or superinfection
- Staph, S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae
- Either due to B. pertussis or superinfection
-
Acute encephalopathy
- See convulsions resulting in death or permanent brain damage
Pertussis
Adolescent/Adult Disease
- Mild URT infection
- Cough with vomiting
- Cough persisting > 2 weeks
- Whooping variable
- Source of transmission to non or partially immune infants
Pertussis
Lab Diagnosis
- NP swab ⇒ must be dacron or calcium alginate
- Culture during first 4 weeks of infection
- Grown on charcoal blood agar (Bordet-Gengou medium)
- Takes 3-7 days for final ID
- PCR in conjunction with culture ⇒ becoming the standard
-
Direct Immunofluorescent Assay ⇒ can be performed on swab specimens
- Sensitivity ~ 50%
- Most useful in ID’ing B. pertussis after culture
- Mainly a clinical dx

Pertussis
Treatment
-
Macrolides
- Effective during catarrhal phase
- Preventative therapy
- Erythromycin ⇒ drug of choice
-
Supportive therapy
- Only option once paroxysmal phase reached
- Manage paroxysms, apnea, cyanosis, feeding difficulties
Pertussis
Immunity
-
Infection or immunization ⇒ protective immunity
- Not life-long
- sIgA prevent attachment
- Ab’s that neutralize PT
- Repeat infections are mild
Pertussis
Prevention
-
1st gen ⇒ heat-killed prep of whole organism
- Post-vaccinal encephalopathies
-
2nd gen ⇒ acellular vaccine
- Pertussis toxoid + 2-4 other virulence factors
- Diphtheria, Tetanus, acellular pertussis series (DTaP)
- 5 doses ⇒ 2, 4, 6 m/o, 6 yr, 11-12 y/o
- Booster during pregnancy @ 27-36 weeks ⇒ passive protection of infant
- ↓ Neurologic complications
- Cocooning infant ⇒ boost everyone in close proximity
DTap vs Tdap
DTaP ⇒ initial and boosters in children
Tdap ⇒ boosters in adolescents and pregnant women
Pertussis
Re-emergence
- Immunity wanes over time
- Adolescent/adults susceptible
- Reservoir for transmission to infants
- Adolescent/adults susceptible
- Many cases in infants prior to or because of delayed immunization
- Need to boost mother otherwise no maternal passive immunity
- Vaccine boosters recommended q10 years
Corynebacterium
Overview
-
C. diphtheriae
- Pathogenic & highly toxigenic
- Causes Diphtheria
- Vaccine preventable illness
- Effects due to exotoxin
-
Diphtheroids ⇒ commensal organisms
- C. ulcerans, C. xerosis, C. pseudodiphtericum
- Normal flora of pharynx, nasopharynx, distal urethra, and skin
C. diphtheriae
Characteristics
-
Small, pleomorphic club-shaped gram ⊕ rods
- “Chinese letter” or palisade arrangements
- Non-spore forming
- Aerobic
- ± metachromatic granules ⇒ stains bluish-purple w/ methylene blue
- Grown on Tinsdale agar
- Contains potassium tellurite
- ⊗ normal flora
- Reduced by C. diphtheriae to produce brown to black colonies
- Contains potassium tellurite

C. diphtheriae
Transmission & Epidemiology
- Respiratory droplet or direct skin contact
- Only reservoir in humans
- Maintained in population by asymptomatic carriage in oropharynx or skin of immune individual
- Outbreaks in populations w/o immunization programs
- Ex. End of Soviet Russia
Diphtheria Toxin
(DT)
Most important virulence factor of C. diphtheriae
⊗ Protein synthesis ⇒ Cytotoxic effect
A-B type structure
-
B subunit ⇒ binds heparin binding EGF-receptor
- Receptor mediated endocytosis
- Facilitates translocation of A subunit into cytosol
- Highly expressed on cardiac and neural tissue
-
A subunit ⇒ ADP-ribosylation of elongation factor-2 (EF-2)
- Required for translocation of polypeptidyl-tRNA from A site during protein synthesis

Diphtheria Toxin
Regulation
- tox gene codes for DT
- Carried by lysogenic or temperate β-phage
- Lysogen required for disease
- Lysogenic conversion ⇒ non-toxigenic to toxigenic upon phage infection
-
tox gene regulated by DtxR repressor + iron
- Chromosomally encoded by C. diphtheriae
- Low iron ⇒ tox gene de-repressed ⇒ DT made
- Iron critical for virulence
C. diphtheriae
Pathogenesis

C. diphtheriae
Clinical Manifestations
- Malaise, sore throat, fever
-
Gray-white pseudomembrane on tonsils, uvula, soft palate, or pharyngeal wall
- Bleeds when scraped
- May obstruct breathing & detach in young children ⇒ ± suffocation
- Cervical lymphadenitis and edema ⇒ “bull-neck”
- DT disseminates w/ varied sx
- Cardiac ⇒ arryhthmias, myocarditis, CHF
- Neuro ⇒ neuritis, diaphragm paralysis, coma

Cutaneous Diphtheria
Infection of the skin w/ C. diphtheriae
Chronic skin ulcer with a dirty-gray membranous base

Diphtheroid
Infection
Non-toxigenic strains cause non-diphtherial disease.
Mild pharyngitis
Endocarditis
Septicemia
Abscess
C. diphtheriae
Lab Diagnosis
- Swab pharynx
- Culture on Tinsdale agar w/ potassium tellurite ⇒ grey/black colonies
- Demonstrate toxin activity ⇒ Elek test or PCR
- Immunodiffusion and tissue culture assays
- No rapid tests ⇒ initial clinical dx and treatment

Diphtheria
Treatment
-
Eliminate toxin producing bacteria
- PCN or erythromycin
-
Neutralize toxin
- Passive admin of equine anti-toxin
- Heterologous anti-serum ⇒ risk of serum sickness (type III hypersensitivity)
- Passive admin of equine anti-toxin
C. diphtheriae
Immunity
Largely dependent on presence of Ab that neutralize DT
Diphtheria
Prevention
Active immunization with diphtheria toxoid
- Prevents disease
- Part of DPT series @ 2, 4, and 6 m/o
- Diphteria, pertussis, tetanus (DTaP)
- Boosters
- Between 4-6 y/o
- Before entering school
Childhood Vaccine Schedule
24 immunizations in the first 18 months of life
