Opportunistic infection

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

Opportunistic infections are infections caused by organisms that usually do not cause disease in a person with a healthy immune system, but can affect people with a poorly functioning or suppressed immune system. They need an "opportunity" to infect a person.

Causes

Immunodeficiency or immunosuppression can be caused by:

• Malnutrition
• Recurrent infections
• Immunosuppressing agents for organ transplant recipients
• Chemotherapy for cancer
• AIDS or HIV-infection
• Genetic predisposition
• Skin damage
• Antibiotic treatment
• Medical procedures

Types of infections

These infections include:

• Pneumocystis jirovecii, previously known as Pneumocystis carinii f. hominis
• Candida albicans
• Staphylococcus aureus
• Streptococcus pyogenes
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• Acinetobacter baumanni
• Toxoplasma gondii
• Cytomegalovirus
• Aspergillus sp.
• Kaposi's Sarcoma

Treatment

Treatment depends on the type of opportunistic infection, but usually involves different antibiotics.

Related Chapters

• HIV opportunistic infections