All bacteria / virus / prions Flashcards
Staphylococcus Aureus
S Aureus is commonly found in humans and animals. True or False?
True. In humans, commonly found on nose and skin
Staphylococcus Aureus
What are the characteristics of S.Aureus?
- gram positive or negative
- spore forming or not
- What conditions does it survive in (temp,pH, salt)
- what metabolites it produce
- Gram positive cocci
- Most resistant, non-spore-forming species : grow in wide range of temperatures, pH and salt resistant (10%)
- Produce highly heat-stable enterotoxins (proteins) that are not destoryed by proteases (trypsin, pepsin) and remain intact in GI tract.
Staphylococcus Aureus
For S Aureus, what is the
- disease type
- infectious dose
- incubation period
- illness period
- Intoxication
- < 10 micrograms of enterotoxin (around 10^5 organisms / g of food)
- Incubation period : 1/2 to 6h
- illness period : few hours - 1 day
Staphylococcus Aureus
What are the 2 main transmission routes for S Auerus?
- Person to person : contamination of food from infected workers with S Auerus strains that can produce toxins on their skin
- Temperature abuse : improper storage temperatures, cooling not rapid enough
Staphylococcus Aureus
What are the symptoms for S Aureus for
1. mild cases [4]
2. severe cases [4]
Mild cases
- diarrhoea, nausea + vomit, abdominal pain
Severe cases
- Dehydration (from diarrhoea and vomiting)
- Headache
- Muscle cramps
-** Change in blood pressure and pulse rate**
Staphylococcus Aureus
What is the main category of food that is incriminated for S Aureus?
Foods that have considerable preparation steps.
Includes a wide range of RTE / chilled products
- Meat and meat products
- Poultry and egg products
- Milk and dairy products
- Salads
- Bakery products
Staphylococcus Aureus
What are 5 ways to diagnose S Aureus?
- Serologicalmethods to determine enterotoxicity (For S.Auereus strains)
- Detection of enterotoxin
- Detecting presence of large no of coagulase positive S Aureus from contaminated food samples
- Interviews with victims
- gathering of epidemiological data in case of outbreaks
Staphylococcus Aureus
Why is detecting presence of large no of coagulase positive S Aureus from contaminated food samples not a good way to diagnose it?
In some cases, Staph Aureus may not be detected as it may have been killed through cooking. However, absence of S Aureus does not mean that it is NOT the cause of disease, since toxin is present in the food. It is more important to detect toxin
Staphylococcus Aureus
How to detect enterotoxin in S Aureus? [2]
- Concetrate toxin by restoring serological activity and identify with antiserum
- Rapid methods to detect 1 nanogram toxin / g food (v low LOD) : using antibodies such as ELISA
C. Perfringens
Is clostridium perfringens
1. Gram positive or negative
2. Spore forming or not
Gram positive, spore forming
C. Perfringens
Clostridium perfringens is widely distributed in the environment. True or False?
True
C. Perfringens
where can C. Perfringens and its spores be naturally found?
C.Perfringens : intestines of humans and many domestic animals
Spores : soil / sediments / areas subject to human or animal faecal pollution
C. Perfringens
What is the:
1. Disease type (infection? intoxication?)
2. Infective dose (hint : per g of food)
3. Infection / illness period
- Infection
- 108 vegetative cells ;; for 100 g of food : 106 cells / g of food
- Symptoms last for 1-2 weeks in vulnerable populations
C. Perfringens
What are the 2 different types of disease related to C. Perfringens?
- Perfringens food poisoning (gastroenteritis) – infection. Type A strands produce Clostridium Perfringens Enterotoxin (CPE)
- Pig bel disease – Type C strands produce beta toxin (intoxication)
Pig bel disease – pig belly – belly swell
C. Perfringens
What are the symptoms for C.
Perfringens food poisoning [2] and whats the incubation period?
Gastroenteritis
- watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps 8-12h after consumption of affected food
C. Perfringens
What are the symptoms for C.Perfringens for
Pig Bel disease? [4, 2 common 2 characteristic]
- Swollen belly (like pig -> pig bel)
- Necrosis (death) of small intestine
- Diarrhoea
- Vomit
C. Perfringens
What are the incriminated foods for C. Perfringens?
Cooked meat products, especially with gravy. (catered food)
C. Perfringens
What is the main cause behind C. Perfringens food poisoning?
Due to temperature abuse of cooked foods, causing rapid multiplication and formation of spores.
- Spores survive cooking, germinate after heat shock. and multiply rapidly due to slow cooling / improper storage temp.
C. Perfringens
how to diagnose C.Perfrignens? [3]
1) Symptoms and history of eating temperature abused foods
Confirmation
2) Detecting CPE toxin in faeces of patients through serological assays
3) Detection of presence of large qty of organisms in contaminated food or patient’s stools
Bacillus cerus
Is bacillus cerus :
- gram positive or negative
- spore forming or not
- Gram positive
- Spore forming
(Usually gram +ve = spore forming except for staph aureus : gram +ve BUT not spore forming)
Bacillus cerus
What is the disease type for Bacillus cerus? (Infection / intoxication / toxicoinfection)
Intoxication, ingestion of pre-formed toxin
Bacillus cerus
What are the 2 types of disease that Bacillus cerus can cause? Which type is more common?
- Emetic type (more common)
- Diarrhoeal type
Bacillus cerus
For the emetic type B. cerus, it is caused by the ingestion of?
Low molecular weight heat stable peptide known as cereulide
- heat-resistant emetic toxin
Bacillus cerus
What are the symptoms of emetic type B.cereus? [4] What is the incubation period and length of intoxication?
Similar to S. Auerus intoxication : Nausea and vomitting (occasional cramps and diarrhoea)
- 1/2 - 6h after ingestion of food, with occassional cramps and diarrhoea.
- Length of intoxication : < 24h (v fast)
Bacillus cerus
What is the main type of food related to emetic type B.Cereus? What is the main cause of illness?
“Chinese fried rice syndrome”
- starchy foods like rice, noodles
- Due to improper storage of cooked rice (at room temp), and reheating of cooked rice for fried rice but toxin already formed.
Bacillus cerus
The diarrhoeal type of B.Cereus affects what kinds of foods?
A wide variety of foods
- Meats, milk, vege, fish
- Food mixtures like sauces, puddings, soups
Bacillus cerus
What are the 3 ways of confirmation of B Cerus in foods?
- Isolation of strains of the same serotype from food and faeces / vomitus of patient
- Isolation of large numbers of common food poisoning B Cereus serotype in food / faeces / vomitus
- Isolation of B Cereus from food and determing enterotoxigenicity by serological / biological tests
Vibrio Parahaemolyticus
Bacillus cerus
What is a way to diagnose the emetic form of B Cerus?
Rapid onset of vomitting symptoms + history of food consumption
Vibrio Parahaemolyticus
All forms of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus are pathogenic. True or False?
False, they occur naturally in marine environments, and some strains are non-pathogenic.
Vibrio Parahaemolyticus
What is the
1. Disease type
2. Infectious dose
3. Incubation period
4. Illness period
For V.Parahaemolyticus?
- Infection
- 10^6 organisms
- Incubation period : average of 15h (:O thats fast, 4-96h)
- Illness period : 2.5 days
Vibrio Parahaemolyticus
What are the symptoms of V Parahaemolyticus?
V Parahaemolyticus gastroenteritis
- Nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, watery diarrhoea (ocean = water)
- Headache, fever, chills (the sea v cold 🥶)
Vibrio Parahaemolyticus
What are the incriminated foods?
Oysters, clams and raw fish (seafood)
Vibrio Parahaemolyticus
What are the main reasons for V Parahaemolyticus gastroenteritis? [2]
- Raw, undercooked or recontaminated fish and shellfish
- Improper refrigeration, temp abuse
Vibrio Parahaemolyticus
How to:
1. Diagnose
2. Analyse foods
for V Parahaemolyticus
- Diagnosis : Isolation of organism from patient’s stool
- Food analysis : cultivation of organism + demonstrate pathogenicity (bc it is present doesn’t mean it caused the illness! There are non-pathogenic forms too!!)
Hepatitis A
What is the infective dose and incubation period for Hep A?
- Infectious dose : 10-100 particles
- Incubation period : average of** 30 days (1 month)**
Hepatitis A
What are the common symptoms [4= 2+2] and characteristic symptoms [2] of Hep A?
Symptoms
- Sudden onset of fever, nausea, abdominal discomfort, loss of appetite
- Characterisitic : dark urine, jaundice
iLLNESS IS MILD
Hepatitis A
Hep A affects children very seriously. True or False?
How long does recovery in children?
False.
- Most are asymptomatic
- Recovery 1-2 weeks
Hepatitis A
Is Hep A more/less serious in adults as compared to children? How long does Hep A symptoms last in adults?
- More serious in adults
- Lasts for < 2 months, but may last as long as** 6 months** in some
Hepatitis A
What are the incriminated foods (or categories) for Hep A? [5]
Contaminated water/ foods (raw / RTE)
- Shellfish : oysters and clams –> MOST COMMON
- cold cuts and sandwiches (RTE)
- Fruit and fruit juice
- Vegetables and salads
- Milk and milk products
Oral faecal route