Bacteria & Toxins Flashcards
4 ways in which exotoxins can act
- Tissue / cell degrading e.g. Staph aureus - toxic epidermal necrolysis (scalded skin syndrome) - loss of patches of skin.
- Neurological pathway - e.g Botulinum - toxin at NMJ = flaccid paralysis
- Cell signalling pathway disrupted - cholera and anthrax
- Superantigens - Staph aureus and Strep pyogenes
Endotoxin, Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is in the cell wall of gram - or + bact?
Gram -
It is released when the bacteria dies - causes sepsis
A disease of mucus membranes, mouth & throat, white/grey membrane forms on back of throat - risk of asphyxiation
Diptheria - Corynebacterium diptheriae
Which bact causes Toxic epidermal necrolysis - painful cond large patches of necrotic epidermis slide off skin.
Staph aureus
Cause of gas gangrene, tissue necrosis & food poisoning
Clostridium perfringens
Often causes diarrhoea infection of post op patients in hosp wards / care homes
Clostridium difficile
Causes whooping cough
Bordetella pertussis
Causes scarlet fever
Strep pyogenes
An exotoxin prod by E coli that inhibits protein synthesis
Shiga like toxin
An exotoxin prod by E coli that increases cAMP
Enterotoxin LT
An exotoxin prod by E coli that increases cGMP
Enterotoxin ST
This layer protects bact from phagocytosis and helps bact stick to surfaces / each other
Slime layer - glycocalyx
Thick walled spore helps bact eg Clostridium & Bacillus to survive heat and cold
Endospore
This bacteria is transmitted by lice, ticks, mites etc. Causes Typhus (not Typhoid!)
Rickettsia
A spirochaete that causes syphillis (after a stage show?…)
Treponema pallidum
