Bacteria Flashcards
what is s. aureus an example of
a classic pathogen
what does s. aureus cause
oral diseases such as angular cheilitis, mucositis and bone infection
what is angular cheilitis
inflammation of the corners of the mouth
what is the pathway following suspected infection of s. aureus causing angular cheilitis
- sample with a sterile swab moistened with sterile water
- rub swab on blood agar
- incubate the bacteria at an appropriate temperature
- look at the colony morphology to identify s. aureus
- can then do a gram stain, and look at the clumping factor detection
how does s. aureus appear on gram stains
as black dots, resembling very closely to a bunch of grapes
what does s. aureus contain that allows it to clump in serum
coagulase positive virulence factor
what is an example of non selective agar
blood agar
what are the benefits of using blood agar
grows everything on the sample, which can give a good overal impression of the bacteria
what are the negatives of using blood agar
grows everything which can make it difficult to pick out pathogens of interest
what is an example of selective agar - in the context of s. aureus
mannitol salt agar
what do the elements of mannitol salt agar involve
the mannitol is a sugar that when fermented changes pH and can indicate the presence of s. aureus. the salt inhibits the growth of lots of different types of bacteria while still allowing s. aureus to grow if you play around with the concentration.
how is s. aureus characterised
its clumpy grape gram stain appearance
what is the process of testing the presence of s. aureus in a sample on mannitol salt agar
- the salt suppresses the growth of other bacteria beside s. aureus
- s. aureus ferments mannitol, which lowers the pH within the agar, making it acidic
- the pH indicator in the mannitol salt agar changes the colour of the agar from pink to yellow
what other species of staph are there
s. epidermis
how can you differentiate between s. aureus and s. epidermis.
s. epidermis does not ferment mannitol and therefore will not change the colour of the agar. s. epidermis also lacks the coagulent factor and will not clump in serum, whereas the s. aureus will.
how can colony morphology aid in the identification of s. aureus
when s. aureus is present it has a round, convex shape and can also be characterised by its size and sharp odor
what is found on the cell wall of s. aureus
clumping factor and protein A
break down the name of s. aureus
staphyloccocus aureus
- staphyl is the genus, and is related to the grape shape it adopts on gram stains
- coccus is related to the round shape
- aureus is related to the gold colour on blood agar
is s. epidermis coagulase negative or coagulase positive
coagulase negative
what is another antimicrobial testing method that can be used to identify presence of s. aureus
minimum inhibitory concentration
what is minimum inhibitory concentration
measures how much antibiotic is required to inhibit the bacteria - helps with prescribing
what does minimum inhibitory concentration highlight the importance of
taking specimens for identification and susceptibility training
what is present in mannitol salt agar that presents a colour change
pH indicator
what changes the pH in mannitol salt agar
the fermentation of the mannitol by the s. aureus
what is a bacterial endotoxin
toxic substances bound to the bacterial cell wall that are released when the bacterium ruptures or disintegrates
how do prions lead to a spongiform appearance in the affected brain
they affect signalling processes, damaging neurons and leading to the spongiform
what is spongiform encephalopathy
- spongiform = sponge like. brain tissue degenerates, where the healthy tissue become cysts and the brain looks like a sponge.
- encephalo (brain) pathy (disease process) - cause is the accumulation of misfolded proteins called prions
what are prions
misfolded proteins
what does fomite mean
objects or materials which are likely to carry infection, such as clothes, utensils, and furniture
what does SICP stand for
standard infection control precautions
what is the ecological plaque hypothesis used to explain
the disease process for caries and periodontal disease
what is the ecological plaque hypothesis
a theory that dental plaque induced diseases are not caused by specific species, but by changes in the environment that lead to an imbalance in the normal oral microflora
break down the ecological plaque hypothesis
- stress such as increased sugar intake leads to increased acid production
- this leads to an environmental shift, where the neutral pH falls to a lower pH level
- this changes the ecological environment, which leads to disease, like caries
what does the understanding of the difference between host and bacterial cells also help with
insight into disease diagnosis and treatment
what are the key anatomical elements to bacterial cells
- outer capsule and protective layers
- other bacterial components
- genome, which is a circular strand of DNA
what are examples of virulence factors
fimbriae, pili, fibrillae, and colonisation factors
what is virulence
the severity or harmfulness of a disease
what contributes to how harmful a disease is
adhesion and antiphagocytics
what are the first steps in pathogenesis
exposure and adhesion
what is an adhesin
a protein or glycoprotein found on the surface of a pathogen that attaches to receptors on the host cell
what pathogen causes dental caries
streptococcus mutans
what is the adhesin of s. mutans
adhesin p1
where does adhesin p1 attach to
teeth
what is chemotaxis
the movement of an organism or entity in response to chemical stimulus
what does aerobic bacteria require
oxygen