Opportunistic infection
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
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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 [1] [2]
Treatment
Treatment depends on the type of opportunistic infection, but usually involves different antibiotics.
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Opportunistic pathogens. |