Common pathogens
The common pathogens in asplenic patients the encapsulated bacteria:
- Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Haemophilus influenzae
- Neisseria meningitidis
- Capnocytophaga canimorsus
Asplenic patients are also more susceptible to malaria.
The increased susceptibility to encapsulated organisms is due to:
- the ability of the spleen to clear these organisms
- the function of the spleen as a reservoir of B lymphocytes which respond to polysaccharide antigens
Create an account to add page annotations
Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.