Running Head: ASTHMA PATHOGENS 1

ASTHMA PATHOGENS

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Pathogens are microorganisms which cause diseases on the body of a host. The Pathogen

can alter the adaptive human body immune system through changing of the normal functioning

of the body system and hiding from the body's immune system by getting within the cells. If the

Pathogen defeats the body immune system, the host will need medical intervention. The

pathogens come in diverse forms like bacterial and viral pathogens which attack the human

body. This assignment uses a case study that deals with "management, diagnosis and treatment

of severe asthma. As among the most common chronic disease, asthma associates itself with

viral pathogens as well as bacterial pathogens, which are the main culprits of the disease.

Asthma is a common pulmonary disease that impacts the host body by tightening of the

respiratory muscles, a chronic swelling of the respiratory system and the occurrence of

bronchoconstriction. The effect of asthma infection in a host may be carried from exacerbate

developing asthma and clinical start of asthma (Arabkhazaeli et al., 2015). Exacerbate asthma is

contributed significantly by viral pathogens. These viral pathogens are Human Rhinovirus, and

respiratory syncytial virus, causing asthma inception.

Moreover, bacterial infections have been associated with exacerbate asthma and may

affect the host's respiratory system independently or as a co-culprit with the viral pathogens.

Some bacterial infection, like mycoplasma pneumonia, in some cases of allergic

bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, may trigger and exacerbate asthma. Also, some people

genetically contain traces of viral wheezing and develop asthma.

Based on the case study, structural changes in asthma disease are evident in the

respiratory system of asthmatics. These structural changes include enlarged submucosal glands,

over deposition of matric in the walls of respiratory systems, thickening of the airway walls, and
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increasing of the respiratory system muscle mass (Laitinen et al., 2016). Genetic compositions of

a host influence structural changes in asthma.

Moreover, the structure of respiratory tubes is affected by demographic factors which a

patient interacts with and duration of uncontrolled inflammation. The pathogens remodel the

airways affecting the mechanism of respiration in the human body (Hakonarson et al.,

2019). Reduction of the airflow in the respiratory system causes increased deposition of the

matrix by the body to resist narrowing of the airways. The chemical structure of asthma is

associated with allergies such as dust, animal fur and cigarettes smoke, which cause redness on

the wall of respiratory systems. The oversensitivity to these allergies greatly influences the

suffering of asthma.

Bacteria and viruses are the most common pathogens associated with asthma. Several

bacteria may cause the asthmatic condition, namely: Chlamydia pneumoniae, Mycoplasma

pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis and Haemophilus influenza.

(Kirstin Bass, 2018)These bacteria influence is wheezing in a child and an adult. Both

Rhinovirus species and respiratory syncytial virus are capable of lowering the flow of the air in

respiratory systems cause asthma both at childhood and at adult levels. The infection may fail to

be symptomatic in the body of an individual, particularly ion children.

  There are various stages of infection associated with asthma. Respiratory infections are

significant signs of asthma. The respiratory infections symptoms start by experiencing common

cold, pneumonia, flu, and other diseases may arise. The common illnesses above interfere with

the lungs by causing the swelling and the narrowing of the air passages. As a result of several

changes in the breathing system, the asthma symptoms become evident, and this can lead to an

asthma attack. The viral infection is another stage of asthma infection (Laitinen et al., 2016). The
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picornaviruses are the predominant viruses in this stage of asthma infection. However, there are

other various viruses associated with viral infections, namely: the coronaviruses and

Rhinovirus. Viral infections are more prevalent in children than in adults.

 Several methods treat asthma. Doctors can adopt various procedures to diagnose asthma.

Diagnosis of asthma starts with a physical exam whereby a doctor can ask a question on the

symptom. Physical examination is crucial in the ruling of all other respiratory diseases. After a

physical exam, the doctor proceeds to tests that measure the functionality of the lungs, given that

the lungs have a crucial pulmonary function. Two types of tests are used to determine the

presence of asthma through measuring lung functionality the analysis, namely spirometry and

peak flow tests. The spirometry tests detect the presence of narrowing of airways through

checking the speed of the air exhaled, and the volume of air one can exhale after a deep breath.

One can also be asked to do a physical activity to determine the presence of asthma symptoms.

However, the diagnostic test used for asthma varies from children to adults. Lung tests conducted

to children below the age of five years alongside considering the medical histories of the patents

determine the potentiality of a child been affected by asthma.

Moreover, prevention and treatment asthmatic infection by avoidance of environments

triggering allergens and medical management of the disease remains to be the best approaches.

Avoidance of situations and occupations that worsen the symptoms is crucial in preventing

asthma. Foundations like American asthma association have organized campaigns that

synthesize the people against environments that might trigger allergens and adopting safety

measures in such situations. Observation of medical prescriptions is significant in controlling

asthma. Athematic people must learn to adhere to their medical prescription programs strictly.
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Chronic asthma can prove challenging to manage. A patient experiencing severe asthma needs

consistent medical attention to prevent the situation from worsening. Before the treatment of

asthma, one needs to be diagnosed to prove its asthma.

 
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References

Arabkhazaeli, A., Vijverberg, S. J., van Erp, F. C., Raaijmakers, J. A., van der ENT, C. K., &

van der Zee, A. H. M. (2015). Characteristics and severity of asthma in children with and

without atopic conditions: a cross-sectional study. BMC pediatrics, 15(1), 172.

Hakonarson, H., Almogurea, B., Vasquex, L. M., & Sleiman, P. M. (2019). U.S. Patent

Application No. 16/318,720.

Kirstin Bass. (2018, april 16). Case Study: Managing Severe Asthma in an Adult. Retrieved from

MedpageToday: https://www.medpagetoday.com/resource-centers/advances-severe-

uncontrolled-asthma/case-study-managing-severe-asthma-adult/1937

Laitinen, O. H., Svedin, E., Kapell, S., Nurminen, A., Hytönen, V. P., & Flodström‐Tullberg, M.

(2016). Enteroviral proteases: structure, host interactions and pathogenicity. Reviews in

medical virology, 26(4), 251-267.

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