Opportunistic Infections

Opportunistic Infections
Sushil K. Kabra
Matthew B. Laurens
Opportunistic infections typically do not cause disease in a person with a healthy immune system but generally affect people with a poorly functioning or suppressed immune system because of immunodeficiency or immunosuppression.
These infections can be severe to fatal, but early recognition and treatment may improve outcomes. The diagnosis of infections in immunocompromised pediatric patients remains a difficult challenge as presenting clinical signs and symptoms may be atypical and serologic testing may be unreliable. Immunocompromised children include those with congenital defects of host defense and defects in cell-mediated or humoral immunity, but the major expansion of this population has occurred with increased hematopoietic stem cell and solid organ transplantation, successful treatment of childhood malignancies, and the use of immunomodulatory agents for chronic diseases such as Crohn disease and rheumatoid arthritis. These developments have significantly increased the population of children at risk for opportunistic infections, and the list of organisms that lead to infections in these groups has become extensive and continues to grow. Pediatric intensivists are likely to see increasing numbers of children survive with primary immunodeficiencies or receive immunosuppressive therapy for treatment of malignancies, autoimmune disorders, or transplantation. For this reason, it is critical that all practitioners are able to recognize signs and symptoms of infections in these patients.
TABLE 95.1 CONDITIONS PREDISPOSING AN INDIVIDUAL TO OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS

▪ MAJOR DEFECTS IN IMMUNE SYSTEM

▪ CLINICAL CONDITIONS

▪ INFECTIONS/CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS

B-cell defects (humoral deficiencies)

Agammaglobulinemia, hypogammaglobulinemia, selective IgA deficiency, IgG subclass deficiencies, common variable immune deficiency, hyper-IgM syndrome

Infections with S. aureus; encapsulated organisms, such as S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae; and gram-negative organisms, such as Pseudomonas species

Arthritis due to echoviruses, coxsackieviruses, adenoviruses, and U. urealyticum

Infections due to P. jiroveci (P. carinii) pneumonitis, and Cryptosporidium

T-cell defects (cell-mediated immunity)

Thymic dysplasia (DiGeorge syndrome), defective T-cell receptor, defective cytokine production, T-cell activation defects, CD8 lymphocytopenia

Disseminated viral infections due to herpes simplex, varicella zoster, and CMV

Progressive pneumonia caused by parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus, cytomegalovirus, varicella, and P. jiroveci

Superficial and systemic fungal infections and parasitic infections. Severe mucocutaneous candidiasis; disseminated BCG disease after BCG vaccination

Combined B- and T-cell defects

Severe combined immunodeficiency, Omenn syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, ataxia telangiectasia, hyper-IgE syndrome

Infections caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses Chronic diarrhea, mucocutaneous or systemic candidiasis, P. jiroveci pneumonitis, and CMV early in life

Infections with S. pneumoniae or H. influenzae type b, P. jiroveci

Late-onset recurrent sinopulmonary infections from bacteria and respiratory viruses

Recurrent episodes of S. aureus abscesses of the skin, lungs, and musculoskeletal system

Abnormalities in phagocytic system

Inadequate numbers (congenital or acquired), Chronic granulomatous disease, leukocyte adhesion deficiency, Chédiak-Higashi syndrome

Recurrent pyogenic and fungal infections due to Pseudomonas, S. marcescens, and S. aureus, and fungi such as Aspergillus and Candida present as cellulitis, perirectal abscesses, or stomatitis

Pulmonary infection, suppurative adenitis, subcutaneous abscess, liver abscess, osteomyelitis, and sepsis due to fungi or bacteria (Staphylococcus)

Gastric outlet obstruction, urinary tract obstruction, and enteritis or colitis

History of delayed cord separation and recurrent infections of the skin, oral mucosa, and genital tract, Predisposed to development of ecthyma gangrenosum and pyoderma gangrenosum

Disorders of the complement system

Disorders involving any one of the complement components, asplenia, splenic dysfunction due to hemoglobinopathies, splenectomy

Infections due to Salmonella spp. and encapsulated bacteria including S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae. These agents can cause sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis, and osteomyelitis

Infections occurring with acquired immunodeficiencies

HIV and other virus infections, cancer chemotherapy, immunosuppressive therapy after organ transplant, diabetes mellitus, sickle cell disease, severe malnutrition

Similar to cell-mediated immune deficiency

Neutropenic patients: infections due to gram-positive cocci and gram-negative organisms, such as P. aeruginosa, E. coli, and Klebsiella

Fungal infections due to Candida and Aspergillus in prolonged neutropenia

CMV

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Jun 4, 2016 | Posted by in CRITICAL CARE | Comments Off on Opportunistic Infections

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