opportunistic infection

Examples of opportunistic infection in the following topics:

• Opportunistic Microorganisms

  • HIV is an opportunistic infections that feeds on the fact the the immune system is suppressed.
  • Patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are particularly susceptible to opportunistic infections.
  • When immunity is lost, the opportunistic microorganisms can easily infect the AIDS patient without being destroyed by the immune system.
  • An example of an opportunistic microorganism is Haemophilus ducreyi.
  • This microorganism infects its host through broken skin or epidermis.

• Host Risk Factors

  • Individuals who are weak, sick, malnourished, have cancer, or are diabetic have increased susceptibility to chronic or persistent infections.
  • Most humans are not easily infected.
  • Individuals who have a suppressed immune system or who are on immunosuppressive drugs are particularly susceptible to opportunistic infections.
  • Risk of infection is a nursing diagnosis which is defined as "the state in which an individual is at risk to be invaded by an opportunistic or pathogenic agent (virus, fungus, bacteria, protozoa, or other parasite) from endogenous or exogenous sources. " The risk of infection depends on a number of endogenous sources.
  • One should not take antibiotics for longer than needed or when they are not needed—long term use of antibiotics leads to resistance and increased the chance of developing opportunistic infections like clostridium difficile colitis .

• Immunodeficiency

  • Immunodeficiency occurs when the immune system cannot appropriately respond to infections.
  • Human immunodeficiency virus infection / acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), is a disease of the human immune system caused by infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) .
  • During the initial infection, a person may experience a brief period of influenza-like illness.
  • The person has a high probability of becoming infected, including from opportunistic infections and tumors that do not usually affect people who have working immune systems.
  • This weakens the immune system, allowing opportunistic infections.

• Fungi

  • Candida species are commonly known to cause opportunist infections in immunocompromised hosts.
  • Candida species are commonly known to cause opportunist infections in immunocompromised hosts .
  • Candida infections are difficult to treat and can result in systemic infections leading to death.
  • Cryptococcus neoformans causes severe forms of meningitis and meningo-encephalitis in patients with HIV infection and AIDS.
  • This specific fungus is endemic in certain areas of the United States and infection is due to inhaling contaminated air.

• Colonization and Growth

  • Most humans are not easily infected.
  • Individuals who have a suppressed immune system are particularly susceptible to opportunistic infections.
  • Neither of these colonizations are considered infections.
  • The difference between an infection and a colonization is often only a matter of circumstance.
  • Staphylococcus is a Gram-positive bacteria which includes several species that can cause a wide variety of infections in humans and other animals through infection or the production of toxins.

• Cryptococcosis

  • Cryptococcal meningitis (infection of the meninges, the tissue covering the brain) is believed to result from dissemination of the fungus from either an observed or unappreciated pulmonary infection.
  • Cryptococcosis is a defining opportunistic infection for AIDS.
  • Every attempt should be made to reduce the amount of immunosuppressive medication until the infection is resolved.
  • It can be associated with feline leukemia virus infection in cats.
  • Soil, fowl manure, and pigeon droppings are among the sources of infection.

• Biofilms and Infections

  • Biofilms have been found to be involved in a wide variety of microbial infections in the body, by one estimate in 80% of all infections.
  • Infectious processes in which biofilms have been implicated include common problems such as urinary tract infections, catheter infections , middle-ear infections, formation of dental plaque, gingivitis, and coating contact lenses.
  • The achievements of medical care in industrialized societies are markedly impaired due to chronic opportunistic infections that have become increasingly apparent in immunocompromised patients and the aging population.
  • Chronic infections remain a major challenge for the medical profession and are of great economic relevance because traditional antibiotic therapy is usually not sufficient to eradicate these infections.
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa is not only an important opportunistic pathogen and causative agent of emerging nosocomial infections but can also be considered a model organism for the study of diverse bacterial mechanisms that contribute to bacterial persistence.

• HIV and AIDS

  • The illness interferes with the immune system, making people with AIDS much more likely to get infections, including opportunistic infections and tumors that do not usually affect people with working immune systems.
  • The CDC estimated that in 2008 20% of infected Americans were unaware of their infection.
  • Additionally, early treatment of HIV-infected people with antiretrovirals protected 96% of sexual partners from infection.
  • People infected with HIV/AIDS can be treated with anti-retroviral drugs.
  • This medication can relieve many of the symptoms associated with the infection, such as increased susceptibility to other viral infections.

• Extent of Host Involvement

  • Infectious diseases result from the interplay between the pathogens and the defenses of the hosts they infect.
  • Clinicians therefore classify infectious microorganisms or microbes according to the status of host defenses - either as primary pathogens or as opportunistic pathogens.
  • Many of the most common primary pathogens of humans only infect humans; however many serious diseases are caused by organisms acquired from the environment or which infect non-human hosts.
  • Organisms which cause an infectious disease in a host with depressed resistance are classified as opportunistic pathogens.
  • Differentiate between primary and opportunistic pathogens in regards to host involvement

• Cystitis

  • Cystitis is a urinary bladder inflammation that is most commonly caused by a bacterial infection of the lower urinary tract infection.
  • A urinary tract infection (UTI), a bacterial infection that affects the lower urinary tract, is also known as a simple cystitis (a bladder infection).
  • It is most commonly caused by a bacterial infection in which case it is referred to as a urinary tract infection.
  • This disease can cause chronic urinary tract infections.
  • Normally found in the humans gastrointestinal tract, Proteus spp. are opportunistic pathogens, which means that they usually do not cause disease.