Secondary immunodeficiency — formative SAQs

SAQ 1 (10)

A seven-year-old boy with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, day twelve of induction chemotherapy, presents with fever of 39 °C. His absolute neutrophil count is 0.2 × 10⁹ per litre. He looks flushed and tachycardic but is normotensive. ^{[1] [4]}

a) Define secondary immunodeficiency and state why this child is immunodeficient. (2 marks) ^[1]

b) Outline your immediate management, including the timing of key interventions. (3 marks) ^{[1] [4]}

c) Explain how the cause predicts the infecting organism, giving the predicted organism class for chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. (2 marks) ^[1]

d) Describe the prophylaxis and vaccination principles that belong in his long-term plan as he proceeds through treatment. (3 marks) ^{[4] [1]}