Editing Overwhelming post-splenectomy infection (section)

{{Infobox medical condition
| name          = Overwhelming post-splenectomy infection
| synonym       = '''Overwhelming post-splenectomy sepsis''' ('''OPSS''')<ref>surgical recall, seventh edition, Lorne H. Blackbourne, page 469.</ref>
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| specialty     = [[Infectious disease]]
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| onset         = 24–48 hours following presentation with mild viral symptoms<ref name="Luu2019" />
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| causes        = Exposure to pathogens following [[splenectomy]] or [[asplenia]]
| risks         = [[Splenectomy]] in the past 2–3 years, removal of spleen for [[hematological]] reasons, being under the age of 2<ref name="Luu2019" />
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| prognosis     = Almost invariably fatal without treatment<ref name="Luu2019">{{Cite journal|last1=Luu|first1=Sarah|last2=Spelman|first2=Denis|last3=Woolley|first3=Ian J.|date=2019|title=Post-splenectomy sepsis: preventative strategies, challenges, and solutions|journal=Infection and Drug Resistance|volume=12|pages=2839–2851|doi=10.2147/IDR.S179902|issn=1178-6973|pmc=6748314|pmid=31571940 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
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An '''overwhelming post-splenectomy infection''' ('''OPSI''') is a rare but rapidly fatal [[infection]] occurring in individuals following [[Splenectomy|removal]] (or [[Asplenia|permanent dysfunction]]) of the [[spleen]]. The infections are typically characterized by either [[meningitis]] or [[sepsis]], and are caused by [[bacterial capsule|encapsulated organisms]] including ''[[Streptococcus pneumoniae]]''.<ref name="pmid11253134">{{cite journal |author=Waghorn DJ |title=Overwhelming infection in asplenic patients: current best practice preventive measures are not being followed |journal=Journal of Clinical Pathology |volume=54 |issue=3 |pages=214–8 |date=March 2001 |pmid=11253134 |pmc=1731383 |doi= 10.1136/jcp.54.3.214}}</ref> It is a [[medical emergency]] and requires immediate treatment. Death has been reported to occur within 12 hours.<ref name=":0" />

The spleen is necessary for protection against [[Bacterial capsule|encapsulated bacteria]] (see Mechanism) and as such when removed by splenectomy it can lead to rapid unchallenged infection by encapsulated bacteria. The rapid progression from [[Influenza-like illness|mild viral symptoms]] to [[sepsis]] is one of the things that makes OPSI particularly dangerous.

Another source of infection<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rosner |first1=F. |title=Babesiosis in splenectomized adults. Review of 22 reported cases. |journal=American Journal of Medicine |date=April 1984 |volume=76 |issue=4 |pages=696–701 |pmid=6424470|doi=10.1016/0002-9343(84)90298-5 }}</ref> are species of ''[[Babesia]]'', which are tick-borne parasites that cause [[babesiosis]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |title=About Babesiosis |url=https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/babesiosis/gen_info/index.html |website=CDC Parasites |access-date=19 June 2018}}</ref>