This week in class we finished discussing lower respiratory infections (LRI). The two most common infections seen and heard are bronchitis and pneumonia. Bronchitis can be either acute or chronic, each having a large impact on the individual invaded by the bacteria or virus. The most common bacteria see in bronchitis are S. pneomoniae, H. influenza, and M. catarrhalis. Pneumonia can be categorized into community-acquired and nosocomial (hospital) acquired. Many bacteria can be responsible for nosocomial infections including Klebsiella, Enterobacteriacae, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, S. pneumonia, Anaerbes, and Legionella. Another common infection is Mycoplasma. This is usually caused from M. pneumonia, which is often called walking pneumonia. Serology is most often used to confirm the infection and can be done by ELISA/IFA. The last bacterial agent I want to review is Chlamydophila. Chlamydophila psittaci is often referred to as atypical pneumonia, is transmitted to man via birds, and is classified as a category B biological warfare agent. Serology is the most commonly used method used to identify this agent. Chlamydophila pneumonia is asymptomatic and is major cause of community acquired pneumonia. This is also associated with coronary artery disease. I have had mycoplasma pneumonia and am interested in it, and as a result I have researched and attached a link to a journal article that looks at pneumonia in children with asthma.
http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/reprint/172/9/1078
Another main cause of pneumonia in children is RSV. I had never heard of RSV until my daughter ended up with it at 18 months. I was terrified since I knew nothing of this virus, especially when they told us we needed to stay overnight at the children's hospital. We had just thought she had a cold or allergies. It broke my heart to see my baby with all these monitors and IV in her tiny little hand. Thankfully she did not develop pneumonia, but did have bronchiolitis. She stayed sick with runny nose, cough, and ear infections for the next year. They finally put her on an antibiotic for a full month before they finally knocked it all out of her. The following fact is from the CDC site (link below):
ReplyDelete'Almost all children will be infected with RSV by their second birthday.'
http://www.cdc.gov/rsv/