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
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