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 .

• 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.

• Secondary Immunodeficiency Diseases

  • An immunocompromised person may be particularly vulnerable to opportunistic infections, in addition to normal infections that could affect everyone.
  • A number of rare diseases feature a heightened susceptibility to infections from childhood onward.
  • This includes many types of cancer, particularly those of the bone marrow and blood cells (leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma), and certain chronic infections.
  • HIV directly infects a small number of T helper cells and also impairs other immune system responses indirectly.
  • In the absence of specific treatment, around half the people infected with HIV develop AIDS within 10 years.

• 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.

• 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

• Overview of Human-Microbial Reactions

  • In certain conditions, some species can cause disease by producing infection or increasing the host's cancer risk.
  • Infectious disease results from the interplay between those few pathogens and the defenses of the hosts they infect.
  • Organisms which cause an infectious disease in a host with depressed resistance are classified as opportunistic pathogens.
  • Opportunistic disease may be caused by microbes that are ordinarily in contact with the host, such as pathogenic bacteria or fungi in the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Therefore, pathogens evolved several methods that allow them to successfully infect a host, while evading the immune system.

• 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.