Infections caused by gonorrhea

1.  Acute urethritis.  Mostly in males.  Generally self-limiting.  Dysuria and purulent discharge.

2.  Endocervical infection.  Purulent vaginal discharge, abnormal menses, pelvic pain.  Often co-infection with other STD’s.  Some women are asymptomatic.

3.  Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID).  Consequence of ascending endocervical infection.  Causes salpingitis, endometriosis, bilateral abdominal pain, discharge, fever.  May lead to sterility, chronic pain, and ectopic pregnancy because of loss of fallopian cilia.

4.  Anorectal inflammation.  Mostly in homosexual men.  Pain, itching, discharge from anus.

5.  Dermatitis/arthritis.  Occurs after bacteremia.  Skin will have papules on an erythematous base which develop into necrotic pustules.  Asymmetric joint pain.  These infections are susceptible to penicillin.

6.  Neonatal infections.  Ophthalmia neonatorum is a conjunctival infection from going through infected vagina.  After one year of age, suspect child abuse.

TOXOPLASMOSIS

Infection with Toxoplasma gondii, causing a spectrum of manifestations ranging from asymptomatic benign lymphadenopathy to life-threatening CNS disease, chorioretinitis, and mental retardation.

Symptomatic infections may present in several ways

Acute toxoplasmosis may mimic infectious mononucleosis with lymphadenopathy, fever, malaise, myalgia, hepatosplenomegaly, and pharyngitis. Atypical lymphocytosis, mild anemia, leukopenia, and slightly abnormal liver function tests are common. The syndrome may persist for weeks or months but is almost always self-limited.

A severe disseminated form characterized by pneumonitis, myocarditis, meningoencephalitis, polymyositis, diffuse maculopapular rash, high fevers, chills, and prostration. Acute fulminating disease is uncommon.

Congenital toxoplasmosis usually results from a primary (and often asymptomatic) acute infection acquired by the mother during pregnancy. The risk of transplacental infection increases from 15% to 30 to 60% for maternal infections acquired in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd trimester of gestation, respectively

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
1. Part of the Retroviridae family (i.e., it is a retrovirus).
2. Basic virion structure
a. The nucleocapsid contains single stranded RNA and three enzymes: reverse transcriptase, integrase, and protease.

b. An exterior consists of two glycoproteins, gp120 and gp41, which are imbedded in the lipid bilayer. This lipid bilayer was obtained from the host cell via budding.

3. Virion characteristics

a. The HIV genome includes:

(1) gag gene—codes for core proteins.
(2) pol gene—codes for its three enzymes.
(3) env gene—codes for its two envelope glycoproteins.

b. HIV enzymes

(1) Reverse transcriptase—reverse transcription of RNA to viral DNA.
(2) Integrase—responsible for integrating viral DNA into host DNA.
(3) Protease—responsible for cleaving precursor proteins. 

4. Pathogenicity

a. HIV mainly infects CD4 lymphocytes, or helper T cells. Its envelope protein, gp120, binds specifically with CD4 surface
receptors. After entry, viral RNA is transcribed by reverse transcriptase to viral DNA and integrated into  the host DNA. New virions are synthesized and released by lysis of the host cell.

b. The predominant site of HIV replication is lymphoid tissues.
c. Although HIV mainly infects CD4 helper T cells, it can bind to any cell with a CD4 receptor, including macrophages, monocytes, lymph node dendritic cells, and a selected number of nerve cells. Macrophages are the first cells infected by HIV.

5. HIV infection versus acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

a. AIDS describes an HIV-infected person who has one of the following conditions:

(1) A CD4 lymphocyte count of less than 200.
(2) The person is infected with an opportunistic infection or other AIDS-defining illness, including (but not limited to) tuberculosis, recurrent pneumonia infections, or invasive cervical cancer.
b. The cause of death in an AIDS patient is most likely due to an opportunistic infection.

6. Common opportunistic infections associated with AIDS:
a. Pneumonia caused by Pneumocystis jiroveci (carinii). 
b. Tuberculosis.
c. Periodontal disease—severe gingivitis, periodontitis, ANUG, necrotizing stomatitis.
d. Candidiasis.
e. Oral hairy leukoplakia (EBV).
f. Kaposi’s sarcoma (HHV-8).
g. Recurrent VZV infections.
h. Condyloma acuminatum or verruca vulgaris (warts, HPV)—less common.
i. CMV infections.
j. Disseminated herpes simplex, herpes zoster.
k. Hodgkin’s, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

7. Laboratory diagnosis of HIV

a. ELISA test—detects HIV antibodies.
False negatives do occur.

b. Western blot—detects HIV proteins.
There is a 99% accuracy rate when both the ELISA test and Western blot are used to diagnose HIV infection.
c. PCR—more sensitive; can amplify and identify the virus at an early stage.

8. Treatment
a. Inhibitors of reverse transcriptase.

(1) Nucleoside analogs
(a) Inhibit viral replication via competitive inhibition.
(b) Examples: zidovudine (AZT), didanosine, lami- vudine, stavudine.

(2) Nonnucleoside inhibitors.
(a) Act by binding directly to reverse transcriptase.
(b) Examples: nevirapine, delavirdine.
b. Protease inhibitor.
c. “Triple cocktail” therapy—often consists of two nucleoside inhibitors and a protease inhibitor.

Respiratory Viral Diseases

Respiratory viral infections cause acute local and systemic illnesses. The common cold, influenza, pharyngitis, laryngitis (including croup), and tracheobronchitis are common.

An acute, usually afebrile, viral infection of the respiratory tract, with inflammation in any or all airways, including the nose, paranasal sinuses, throat, larynx, and sometimes the trachea and bronchi.

Etiology and Epidemiology

Picornaviruses, especially rhinoviruses and certain echoviruses and coxsackieviruses, cause the common cold. About 30 to 50% of all colds are caused by one of the > 100 serotypes of rhinoviruses.

Symptoms and Signs

Clinical symptoms and signs are nonspecific.

After an incubation period of 24 to 72 h, onset is abrupt, with a burning sensation in the nose or throat, followed by sneezing, rhinorrhea, and malaise.

Characteristically, fever is not present, particularly with a rhinovirus or coronavirus. Pharyngitis usually develops early; laryngitis and tracheobronchitis vary by person and causative agent. Nasal secretions are watery and profuse during the first days, but become more mucoid and purulent.

Cough is usually mild but often lasts into the 2nd wk.

Cytopathologic techniques

Cytopathology is the study of cells from various body sites to determine the cause or nature of disease.

Applications of cytopathology:

1. Screening for the early detection of asymptomatic cancer

2. Diagnosis of symptomatic cancer

3. Surveillance of patients treated for cancer

Cytopathologic methods

There are different cytopathologic methods including:

1. Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) -In FNAC, cells are obtained by aspirating the diseased organ using a very thin needle under negative pressure.

Superficial organs (e.g. thyroid, breast, lymph nodes, skin and soft tissues) can be easily aspirated.

Deep organs, such as the lung, mediastinum, liver, pancreas, kidney, adrenal gland, and retroperitoneum are aspirated with guidance by fluoroscopy, ultrasound or CT scan.

1. Exfoliative cytology

Refers to the examination of cells that are shed spontaneously into body fluids or secretions. Examples include sputum, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, effusions in body cavities (pleura, pericardium, peritoneum), nipple discharge and vaginal discharge.

1. Abrasive cytology

Refers to methods by which cells are dislodged by various tools from body surfaces (skin, mucous membranes, and serous membranes). E.g. preparation of cervical smears with a spatula or a small brush to detect cancer of the uterine cervix at early stages.

PARASITIC DISEASES

AMEBIASIS (Entamebiasis)

Infection of the colon with Entamoeba histolytica, which is commonly asymptomatic but may produce clinical manifestations ranging from mild diarrhea to severe dysentery.

Etiology and Pathogenesis 

Amebiasis is a protozoan infection of the lower GI tract. E. histolytica exists in two forms: the trophozoite and the cyst.

Two species of Entamoeba are morphologically indistinguishable: E. histolytica is pathogenic and E. dispar harmlessly colonizes the colon. Amebas adhere to and kill colonic epithelial cells and cause dysentery with blood and mucus in the stool. Amebas also secrete proteases that degrade the extracellular matrix and permit invasion into the bowel wall and beyond. Amebas can spread via the portal circulation and cause necrotic liver abscesses.

Symptoms and Signs 

Most infected persons are asymptomatic but chronically pass cysts in stools. Symptoms that occur with tissue invasion include intermittent diarrhea and constipation, flatulence, and cramping abdominal pain. There may be tenderness over the liver and ascending colon, and the stools may contain mucus and blood.

Amebic dysentery, common in the tropics but uncommon in temperate climates, is characterized by episodes of frequent (semi)liquid stools that often contain blood, mucus, and live trophozoites.

Chronic infection commonly mimics inflammatory bowel disease and presents as intermittent nondysenteric diarrhea with abdominal pain, mucus, flatulence, and weight loss.

Metastatic disease originates in the colon and can involve any organ, but a liver abscess, usually single and in the right lobe, is the most common