Bacillus Spp. / Neurogenic Clostridium Spp Flashcards
What are the types of bacillus that we are studying?
Bacillus
Bacillus anthracis
Bacillus cereus
Bacillus thuringiensis
How are bacillus normally present when seen on slides?
Rods, in pairs or long chains
Bacillus is widely distributed in the environment
Endospores can survive more than 50 years
Resist desiccation, high temperatures, and chemical disinfectants
Is bacillus oxidase positive or negative? is it catalase positive or negative? Is it motile? Are most pathogenic? Do they produce endospores? What kind of media can they grow on?

What does it mean if a bacteria is oxidase positive?
Oxidase positive bacteria possess cytochrome oxidase or indophenol oxidase (an iron containing haemoprotein). Both of these catalyze the transport of electrons from donor compounds (NADH) to electron acceptors (usually oxygen). The test reagent, N, N, N’, N’-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine dihydrochloride acts as an artificial electron acceptor for the enzyme oxidase. The oxidized reagent forms the coloured compound indophenol blue.
What are some features of B. anthracis, and B. cereus?

What are features of bacillus antracis?
Colonies up to 5 mm in diameter, flat, dry, greyish appearance (medusa head at edge of the colony) No hemolysis

What bacillus bacteria is seen in this image?

Bacillus anthracis
What bacillus bacteria is seen in this image?

Bacillus anthracis
What bacillus bacteria is seen in this image?

Bacillus anthracis
What bacillus bacteria is seen in this image?

Bacillus cereus
What bacillus bacteria is seen in this image?

Bacillus cereus
What are features of bacillus lincheniform?
Bacillus licheniform: Colonies are dull, rough, wrinkled and strongly adherent to the agar

What bacillus is seen in this image??

Bacillus licheniform

What are features of bacillus cereus?
Bacillus cereus: Colonies similar to B. anthracis but larger with a greenish tinge Hemolysis around the colony

What is the clinical manifestation of B. anthracis in cattle, sheep?
Fatal peracute or acute septicaemic anthrax
What is the clinical manifestation of B. anthracis in pigs?
Subacute anthrax with oedematous swelling in pharyngeal region; an intestinal form with higher mortality is less common
What is the clinical manifestation of B. anthracis in horses?
- Subacute anthrax with localized oedema; septicaemia with colic and enteritis sometimes occurs
What is the clinical manifestation of B. anthracis in humans?
Skin , pulmonary and intestinal forms of anthrax are recorded in humans periodically.
What is the clinical manifestation of B. cereus in cattle?
Mastitis (rare)
What is the clinical manifestation of B. cereus in humans?
Food posioning/ eye infections
What is the clinical manifestation of B. licheniformis in cattle, sheep?
Sporadic abortion
What is the epidemiology of Bacillus?
Endospore -> alkaline soils, rich in Ca and N-> Contaminated pastures, buried carcasses-> Ingestion of spores, inhalation or through the skin
What is the pathogenesis of Bacillus?
Capsule provides resistance to phagocytosis
Toxins components: Protective antigen (binding moiety), oedema factor and lethal factor.
Neutrophils is the target of the oedema factor.
Macrophages, dendritic cells neutrophils and some epithelial and endothelial cells are
the target of the lethal factor















