When does Normal Flora become opportunistic?
2007-01-29 06:18:12 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Medicine
As the others mentioned, any situation in which the host immune system becomes weakened (steroid immunosuppression, HIV, hospitalization, etc), but also when there is an injury or event that introduces the flora into a compartment that it is normally restricted from. Examples of this are (1) a penetrating wound that introduces Staph aureus (normal flora of the skin) into the deeper tissue, which allows opportunistic infection, or (2) aspiration of normal oral flora, like Strep pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae (both normal flora), into the lungs, which is a common cause of pneumonia
2007-01-30 23:22:13 · answer #1 · answered by citizen insane 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the immunocompromised (elderly, AIDS, diabetes, etc), immunosuppresed (transplant patients on drugs that keep the body from rejecting the organ), and hospitalized (those on heavy broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy)
2007-01-29 22:12:10 · answer #2 · answered by Terry N 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
when your immune system is weak, like when you have another illness, too much stress, not eating right, etc
2007-01-29 19:00:35 · answer #3 · answered by ? 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋