Opportunistic infection causes

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

Immunodeficiency or immunosuppression can be caused by:

• Malnutrition
• Fatigue
• Recurrent infections
• Immunosuppressing agents for organ transplant recipients
• Advanced HIV infection
• Chemotherapy for cancer
• Genetic predisposition
• Skin damage
• Antibiotic treatment
• Medical procedures
• Pregnancy

Causative organisms include:

• Acinetobacter baumanni
• Aspergillus sp.
• Candida albicans
• Clostridium difficile
• Cryptococcus neoformans
• Cryptosporidium
• Cytomegalovirus
• Geomyces destructans
• Histoplasma capsulatum
• Isospora belli
• Polyomavirus JC polyomavirus, the virus that causes Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.
• Kaposi’s Sarcoma caused by Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), also called Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)
• Legionnaires’ Disease (Legionella pneumophila)
• Microsporidium
• Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) (Nontuberculosis Mycobacterium)
• Pneumocystis jirovecii, previously known as Pneumocystis carinii f. hominis
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• Staphylococcus aureus
• Streptococcus pneumoniae
• Streptococcus pyogenes
• Toxoplasma gondii

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