Agents of Skin Infections I and II Flashcards
What strains cause Impetigo?
Group A streptococcus and Staphylococcus A
Exogenous vs. endogenous skin infections
Exogenous is direct invasion of microbe from external environment and endogenous is invasion of a microbe from an internal source such as the blood or an infected organ.
Erysipelas
Tender, superficial erythematous and edematous lesions mostly on the superficial lymphatics of the skin. Red and clearly demarcated, can be lethal.
What layer of the skin is cellulitis predominantly affective in?
Subcutaneous fat layer
What is a furuncle?
Boil
Carbuncle?
Group of Boils
Folliculitis
Inflammation in hair follicles. Starts typically as small red bumps or white-headed pimples around the follicles, turning into nonhealing crusty sores.
Nosocomial
Hospital acquired
Myonecrosis
Muscle necrosis
Gas gangrene
Causes myonecrosis, brought on by Clostridium. Dangerous form of necrosis with necrotic bullae (large blisters)
Fasciitis
Caused by GAS, commonly known as flesh eating bacteria. Destruction of skin and subcutaneous tissue
What infections are brought on by Streptococci?
Impetigo Erysipelas Cellulitis Synergistic Cellulitis Necrotizing fasciitis
Think (NICE Strep)
What infections are brought on by Staphylococci?
Folliculitis
Carbuncles
Impetigo
Cellulitis
What infections are brought on by Clostridium?
Gas Gangrene
Pyogenic
Pus forming
What gram stain is streptococci?
Positive
What bacteria are catalase positive? Negative?
Negative - Streptococci
Positive - Staphylococci
Hemolytic Test
Alpha - You can lyse cells but can’t break down hemoglobin (looks green)
Beta - Complete hemolysis including hemoglobulin
Gamma - Can’t break down blood cells at all
Hemolytic results for bacteria
Streptococcus Group A - B hemolytic
Staph A - B hemolytic
Staph - Epidermidis - Gamma
VRSA vs. VISA
VRSA - Complete Vancomycin resistance
VISA - Incomplete resistance
Strep vs. Staph catalase tests
Strep - Negative
Staph - Positive
Lancefield Group A carbohydrate antigen
Not a virulence factor, but is a marker on the cell wall on Group A Streptococci
Specificity of test is great, but sensitivity is poor
Describe a GAS culture
- Glistening due to capsules
- Form clear zones (we can see through them with light)
- Sensitive to Basitracen
Basitracen
Antimicrobial that acts against the cell wall. We can use this to distinguish GAS on an agar plate
PYR Test
Make sure that you have streptococcus. If positive, you have Group A
M protein
Virulence factor
- Antiphagocytic
- Important for binding to epidermis
- Homologous to many self proteins making it tricky to target (molecular mimicry)
Hyaluronic Acid capsule
Antiphagocytic, disguises bacteria due to similarity to our own proteins
Describe Super Antigens
Bind MHCII and TCR together nonspecifically. Causes 20% of our T cells to activate instead of the normal 0.01%. Leads to a shit storms of cytokines
Nosocomial transmissions of bacteria
P Aeruginosa - On biofilms on medical equipment
S Epidermidis- UTIs and other infections caused by surgeries and implanted medical equipment like catheters
S Aureus - EVERYWHERE
How do bacteria get these resistances?
DNA gets inserted into the bacterial DNA by bacterial phages giving them the ability to make toxins
Horizontal gene transfer OR spontaneous mutations
What is the lysonogenic phase
Phase when the virus that infected the bacteria (phage) is not doing anything. Advantages are that the bacteria can not be infected by other viruses and can gain virulence factors
Lytic Phase?
When the virus inside of the bacteria is replicating like crazy
Streptolysis O
Virulence factor that is toxic to a wide variety of cells. Lyses cells around a colony
DNAases?
Virulence factor.
Neutrophils have a second attack method, NET (neutrophil extracellular trap) made up of toxic compounds and DNA fragments that trap and kill pathogens. DNAases released by the bacteria can break these NETs
Streptokinase
Virulence Factor
Lyses blood clots to help bacteria spread