Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis
Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) may be inherited (AR; 5 subtypes, aka familial HLH) or acquired; may mimic severe sepsis, consider in apparent sepsis without source
Category Infectious Disease
Antibacterial Resistance
Antibacterial Resistance: Natural Resistance – they do not possess the molecular target of the drug or are impermeable to it; Acquired resistance – occurs through mutation or the acquisition of new genetic material carried by mobile elements
Antimicrobial Quick Reference
Antimicrobial Quick Reference
Antimicrobial Stewardship
Antimicrobial Stewardship is defined as ‘an ongoing effort by a health-care institution to optimise antimicrobial use among hospital patients in order to improve patient outcomes, ensure cost-effective therapy and reduce adverse sequelae of antimicrobial use (including antimicrobial resistance)’
Aspergillosis
Aspergillosis: fungal disease caused by the mold Aspergillus, ranging from hypersensitivity to invasive infection. Important species include Aspergillus fumigatus, niger, flavus, calavtus; transmission by inhalation; high mortality
Bacterial Meningitis
Bacterial meningitis = pyogenic infection of the cerebral ventricles and subarachnoid space -> CSF; usually confined to meninges (although in neonates and adults with Listeria monocytogenes -> cerebritis, encephalitis and abscesses can form)
Candidiasis
Diagnosis and treatment of candidiasis is a contentious issue; invasive candidiasis is difficult to diagnose; >150 species of Candida (a yeast), few are pathogens
Cholera
Cholera: Gastrointestinal infection caused by vibrio cholerae (Gram negative rod); transmission through consumption of contaminated drinking water or food
Cytomegalovirus in the Critically Ill
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a human herpesvirus (HHV) that rarely causes significant disease in immunocompetent people but is an important cause of illness in the immunocompromised
Cryptococcosis
Cryptococcosis is a fungal infection caused by two different yeast species, that usually manifests as meningitis or pneumonia; cryptococcus neoformans meningitis is an AIDS defining illness
Definitions in Infectious Diseases
DEFINITIONS Bacteria = single celled prokaryotic organism. Eukaryote = organism that possess a cell nucleus and other organelles. Fungi = eukaryotic organisms that absorb their food from other living or dead organisms. Parasite = an organism that grows, feeds, and…
Ebola virus
Ebola virus is an extremely infectious and highly pathogenic virus of primates that causes Ebola virus disease; the term Ebola haemorrhagic fever is no longer used by WHO as haemorrhage is not a consistent feature of the disease; the first cases were identified in 1976 in the Congo (near the Ebola River) and in Sudan