Bacteriology Flashcards
Define antibiotic resistance
The ability of a microorganism to survive and multiply in the presence of an antimicrobial agent that would normally inhibit or kill that particular kind of organism
What are the 4 basic mechanisms of resistance?
- Prevent entry of drug
- Pump drug out of bacteria
- Inactivate drug
- Change target site for drug
What is intrinsic resistance?
Bacteria’s natural ability to resist effects
-all bacteria of a certain type posses this ability
What is acquired resistance?
The bacteria GAINS the ability to resist a drug, where is was previously susceptible
Tends to be found in some strains/subtypes
Mechanisms of acquired bacterial resistance -> mutation, acquisition of resistance genes
When are susceptibility tests indicated?
- young or critically ill patients
- infection is at a site that is normally sterile (difficult to treat, significant impact on health)
- When the bacterial pathogen present has unreliable predicted susceptibility, or if rapid development of resistance is suspected
- Failure of presumptive or confirmed bacterial infection to respond to previous treatment
When are susceptibility tests NOT indicated?
- When bacteria are predictably susceptible
- High level of efficiency of empiric therapy
- If multiple bacteria is isolated from abscesses or wounds
- Testing of non-pathogenic normal flora
- Testing the susceptibility of many strict anaerobes
What are the three most common susceptibility tests?
- Agar disk diffusion
- Broth dilution tests
- Gradient dilution tests
What is an antibiotic breakpoint?
A value that is established based on obtainable serum concentrations of the drug and based on PK/PD data
STANDARD, fixed dose regimens
What are the two factors in interpretations of breakpoints?
Second Part I: susceptible and resistant only directly refer to concentrations of antimicrobials used in vitro
Some microorganisms are responsive in vivo, but resistant in other tissue locations
Second Part II: Breakpoints don’t indicate the ability of the drug to penetrate to the site and act within the conditions found at the site
The predicted susceptibility in vitro may not correspond to clinical efficacy
What is the third factor in breakpoint interpretation?
In vitro susceptibility testing is generally only reliable when applied to common, rapidly growing microorganisms
Infections caused by slow growing bacteria are usually treated more reliably on the basis of published guidelines
What is the fourth factor in breakpoint interpretation?
Susceptibility test results are a prediction of the expected response, not a guarantee
Extraneous factors frequently influence the outcome of antimicrobial therapy
What are common features of the genus Mycoplasma?
They are the smallest bacteria with the smallest genome of any free-living organism
They have many nutritional deficiencies and need special growth conditions for diagnosis
What is different about the cell membrane of Mycoplasma?
There is no cell wall meaning that beta-lactam antibiotics have no effect
They stain poorly with gram stains -> hard to diagnose
Their cell membrane contains cholesterol, meaning serum is needed in media to culture
What cells do Mycoplasma prefer to invade?
They prefer to colonize mucosal surfaces or RBCs of the respiratory and urogenital tract
If attached to a RBC they become a hemotropic Mycoplasmas, and some may invade host cells
What two tropisms is the genus Mycoplasma split into?
Hemotropic Mycoplasmas
Non-hemotropic mycoplasmas
Can hemotropic mycoplasmas replicate on their own?
No, they require a host to replicate
List the source, transmission, target cell, pathogenesis, and clinical signs of hemotropic mycoplasmas
Source: Carrier animals
Transmission: Blood
Target cell: Erythrocytes
Pathogenesis: extravascular hemolysis
Clinical signs: hemolytic anemia, icterus
How is hemotropic mycoplasma typically diagnosed and treated?
Diagnosis: Blood smear, PCR, serology
Treatment: tetracyclines and supportive care
What disease is caused by mycoplasma haemofelis and how is it transmitted?
Disease: feline hemotrophic mycoplasmosis
Affects cats
Transmitted by blood, fleas, or through the placenta
Diagnosed through blood smears (bacteria, agglutination, ghost cells, spherocytes) and PCR
What is the source, transmission, target cell, and clinical signs of non-hemotropic mycoplasmas?
Source: Mucosal epithelia and carrier animals
Transmission: Direct contact, inhalation of aerosols, vertical transmission
Target cell: epithelium and mesothelium
Clinical signs: depend on target cell affected
conjunctivitis, sinusitis, pneumonia, polyserositis, polyarthritis, mastitis, urogenital disease
How is non-hemotropic mycoplasma typically diagnosed and how is it treated?
Diagnosis: Presumptive, direct examination, serology, culture (low sensitivity), PCR
Treatment: tetracyclines, tylosin, aminoglycosides, macrolides, may need to cull
What species does Mycoplasma bovis affect and what are clinical signs associated with disease?
Cattle are affected
Clinical signs: mastitis, pneumonia, polyarthritis, otitis media in calves
Causes lots of economic loss and can persist in the environment for months