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 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: 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 = 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)
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: Gastrointestinal infection caused by vibrio cholerae (Gram negative rod); transmission through consumption of contaminated drinking water or food
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 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 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 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
Handwashing in ICU: nosocomial infection associated with -> increased health costs -> increased morbidity and mortality