Anaerobes Flashcards
What are Anaerobes?
- Bacteria that grow in the absence of oxygen
- Characteristics:
- Generate ATP without O2
- Varying degree of sensitivity to O2
- Aerotolerant
- Obligate
What are the Anaerobic Techniques
- Sample should be kept anaerobic
- Culture medium should have low redox potential
- Cultures incubated under O2-Free atmosphere
What are the Anaerobes of Veterinary Importance
- Minor Genera: rarely cause infections:
- Peptococs
- Peptostreptococcus
- Veilonella
What are the Specific Infections of Anaerobic Bacteria?
- Dichelobacter nodosus -* foot rot sheep
- Fusobacterium necrophorum -* calf diphtheria, foot rot and liver abscesses cattle
- Brachyspira hyodysenteriae -* swine dysentery
- Actinobaculum suis -* UTI sows
- Clostridium sp. -* pseudomembranous colitis in humans, Enterocolitis in animals
What are the nonspecific infections of Anaerobes?
- Abscesses
- Dental and oral infections
- Chronic infections in thoracic and peritoneal cavities
- Infections of the female genital tract
- Bite wounds
- Cellulitis
What are Gram Negative Anaerobes?
- Most common anaerobic infections
- Part of the normal flora - opportunistic
- Generally abscesses (suppurative) and necrotic infections
- Often involve mucous membranes
- Polymicrobial infections
What are the Characteristics of Gram Negative Anaerobic Infections?
- Located close to a mucosal surface
- putrid odor
- Gas
- Negative aerobic culture
What are the Virulence Factors of Gram Negative Anaerobes that create anaerobic microenvironment?
- Require creation of anaerobic microenvironment
- LPS
- Hemolysin
- Platelet aggregation factor
- Synergy with facultative bacteria
- Superoxide dismutase
- Catalase
What are the other Virulence Factors of Gram Negative Anaerobes
- Complex not well characterized
- Structures: Capsule, Pili, LPS, adhesins, etc
- Exotoxins: Enterotoxin, Hemolysin, leukotoxin, etc
- Enzymes: Neuraminidase, DNases, Proteases, Ureases, etc.
- Fermentation products: Acids, Ammonia
What is Synergism?
- Mechanism:
- Supply of essential growth factors
- Protection against phagocytosis (leukotoxin)
- Creation of anaerobic conditions
What is an example of Synergism?
- Trueperella pyogenes creates the environment, toxin, and substrate that complement Fusobacterium necrophorum
What are the clinically important Gram Negative Anaerobes?
- Bacteroides
- Dichelobacter
- Fusobacerium
- Prevotella
- Porphyromonas
What is Dichelobacter nodosus?
- Gram Negative
- Rods - dumb-bell shaped
- Heavily Fimbriated
- Causes Foot rot in sheep
- Habitat:
- Obligate pathogen of the epidermal tissues of the hoof of sheep goats, and cattle
- Can only survive for a few days in soil
What is the treatment for Foot Rot?
- Trimming affected hoof - remove necrotic tisses
- Topical applications of antiseptics or antibiotics
-
Foot baths:
- 5% formlin, 5% coppersulfate, or 10% zinc sulfate
-
Antibiotics:
- Penicillin + Aminoglycoside; Tetracyclines, Fluoroquinolones, Macrolides
Is there a Foot Rot Vaccination?
- Bacterins or fimbriae-based vaccine
- Recombinant fimbriae
- Multistrain
- Vaccination is part of the eradication program in Australia and New Zealand
What is Fusobacterium
- Gram Negative
- Spindle Shaped
- Non-spore forming
- Anaerobe
- 17 species
- F. nuclatum: Human
- F. necrophorum: Animal and Human
- F. equinum: Horses
- F. gstrosuis: Gastric ulceration in swine
What is Fusobacterium necrophorum
- Gram Negative
- Anaerobic
- Rod shaped - pleomorphic
- Associated with nectoric lesions in animals and humans
- “Necrobacillosis”
- Normal inhabitant of the GI, respiratory, urinary, and genital tracts
- Inhabitates soil
- 2 biotypes/subspecies:
- necrophorum
- funduliforme
Fusobacterium necrophorum Subspecies Infections
- Beef cattle:
- Hepatic necrobacillosis
- necrophorum and/or funduliforme
- Beef and Dairy Cattle:
- Interdigital necrobacillosis (Foot Rot)
- necrophorum and/or funduliforme
- Calves:
- Necrotic laryngitis (Calf diphtheria)
- necrophorum and/or funduliforme
- Horses
- Thrush
- ND
- Antelopes:
- Mandibular abscesses, Respiratory infections
- necrophorum and/or funduliforme
- Humans:
- Pharyngitis, Pharyngotonsilitis, Peritonsillar abscesses, Lemierre’s syndrome, soft tssue abscess
- funduliforme
What is F. necrophorum Mode of Infection
- Endogenous: Opportunistic infection (GI and respiratory)
- Exogenous: Soil