immunosuppressive

Examples of immunosuppressive in the following topics:

• Secondary Immunodeficiency Diseases

  • Cortisone was the first immunosuppressant identified, but its wide range of side-effects limited its use.
  • Secondary immunodeficiencies, also known as acquired immunodeficiencies, can result from various immunosuppressive agents, for example, malnutrition, aging and particular medications (e.g., chemotherapy, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, immunosuppressive drugs after organ transplants, glucocorticoids).
  • For medications, the term immunosuppression generally refers to both beneficial and potential adverse effects of decreasing the function of the immune system, while the term immunodeficiency generally refers solely to the adverse effect of increased risk for infection.
  • Many specific diseases directly or indirectly cause immunosuppression.

• Extent of Host Involvement

  • An opportunistic disease requires impairment of host defenses, which may occur as a result of several factors such as genetic defects, exposure to antimicrobial drugs or immunosuppressive chemicals, exposure to ionizing radiation, or as a result of an infectious disease with immunosuppressive activity.

• Cryptococcosis

  • The prevalence of cryptococcosis has been increasing over the past 20 years for many reasons, including the increase in incidence of AIDS and the expanded use of immunosuppressive drugs.
  • Every attempt should be made to reduce the amount of immunosuppressive medication until the infection is resolved.

• Predisposing Factors

  • Some portions of the immune system itself have immuno-suppressive effects on other parts of the immune system, and immunosuppression may occur as an adverse reaction to treatment of other conditions.
  • In general, deliberately-induced immunosuppression is performed to prevent the body from rejecting an organ transplant, treating graft-versus-host disease after a bone marrow transplant, or for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease.

• Overview of Human-Microbial Reactions

  • Resident microbes can cause skin diseases and enter the blood system creating life-threatening diseases particularly in immunosuppressed people .
  • An opportunistic disease requires impairment of host defenses, which may occur as a result of genetic defects, exposure to antimicrobial drugs or immunosuppressive chemicals, exposure to ionizing radiation, or as a result of an infectious disease with immunosuppressive activity.

• The Complement System and Heart Disease

  • Therapy will involve intensive cardiac care and immunosuppressives, including corticosteroids, which are helpful in the acute stage of the disease.

• Inhibiting Essential Metabolite Synthesis

  • For example, azathioprine is the main immunosuppressive cytotoxic substance that is widely used in transplants to control rejection reactions by inhibiting DNA synthesis in lymphocytes.

• Compromised Host

  • Patients' treatments can leave them vulnerable to infection: immunosuppression and antacid treatment undermine the body's defences, while antimicrobial therapy (removing competitive flora and only leaving resistant organisms) and recurrent blood transfusions have also been identified as risk factors.

• Polyketide Antibiotics

  • Examples of polyketides include: Macrolides; Pikromycin, the first isolated macrolide; the antibiotics erythromycin A; clarithromycin, and azithromycin; the immunosuppressant tacrolimus; Radicicol and Pochonin family (HSP90 inhibitor); Polyene antibiotics; Amphotericin; Tetracyclines and the tetracycline family of antibiotics.

• Antibiotics from Prokaryotes

  • Streptomyces is the largest antibiotic-producing genus, producing antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic drugs, and also a wide range of other bioactive compounds, such as immunosuppressants.