22: Respiratory System Infections
The respiratory tract is one of the main portals of entry into the human body for microbial pathogens. On average, a human takes about 20,000 breaths each day. This roughly corresponds to 10,000 liters, or 10 cubic meters, of air. Suspended within this volume of air are millions of microbes of terrestrial, animal, and human origin—including many potential pathogens. A few of these pathogens will cause relatively mild infections like sore throats and colds. Others, however, are less benign. According to the World Health Organization, respiratory tract infections such as tuberculosis, influenza, and pneumonia were responsible for more than 4 million deaths worldwide in 2012. 1
At one time, it was thought that antimicrobial drugs and preventive vaccines might hold respiratory infections in check in the developed world, but recent developments suggest otherwise. The rise of multiple-antibiotic resistance in organisms like Mycobacterium tuberculosis has rendered many of our modern drugs ineffective. In addition, there has been a recent resurgence in diseases like whooping cough and measles, once-common childhood illnesses made rare by effective vaccines. Despite advances in medicine and public health programs, it is likely that respiratory pathogens will remain formidable adversaries for the foreseeable future.
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- 22.1: Anatomy and Normal Microbiota of the Respiratory Tract
- The upper respiratory tract is colonized by an extensive and diverse normal microbiota, many of which are potential pathogens. Few microbial inhabitants have been found in the lower respiratory tract, and these may be transients. Members of the normal microbiota may cause opportunistic infections, using a variety of strategies to overcome the innate nonspecific defenses (including the mucociliary escalator) and adaptive specific defenses of the respiratory system.
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- 22.2: Bacterial Infections of the Respiratory Tract
- The respiratory tract can be infected by a variety of bacteria, both gram positive and gram negative. Although the diseases that they cause may range from mild to severe, in most cases, the microbes remain localized within the respiratory system. Fortunately, most of these infections also respond well to antibiotic therapy.
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- 22.3: Viral Infections of the Respiratory Tract
- Viruses cause respiratory tract infections more frequently than bacteria, and most viral infections lead to mild symptoms. The common cold can be caused by more than 200 viruses, typically rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, and adenoviruses, transmitted by direct contact, aerosols, or environmental surfaces. Due to its ability to rapidly mutate through antigenic drift and antigenic shift, influenza remains an important threat to human health. Two new influenza vaccines are developed annually.
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- 22.4: Respiratory Mycoses
- Fungal pathogens are ubiquitous in the environment. Serological studies have demonstrated that most people have been exposed to fungal respiratory pathogens during their lives. Yet symptomatic infections by these microbes are rare in healthy individuals. This demonstrates the efficacy of the defenses of our respiratory system. In this section, we will examine some of the fungi that can cause respiratory infections.
Footnotes
- 1 World Health Organization. “The Top Ten Causes of Death.” May 2014. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/
Thumbnail: Coronaviruses are a group of viruses known for causing the common cold. They have a halo or crown-like (corona) appearance when viewed under an electron microscope. (Public Domain; CDC/Dr. Fred Murphy).