Bacteriology Flashcards
What are the capsulated bacteria
YES Some Nasty Killers Have Pretty Big Capsules
Yersinia pestis
Escherichia coli
Salmonella typhi
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Neisseria menigitidis
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Haemophilus influenzas
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Bacillus anthracis and Bordetella pertussis
Crypococcus neoformans
Give 3 characteristics of the bacteria cell
Prokaryotic
Non membrane organelle
DNA is circular
What’s the cell wall of bacteria made of
Peptidoglycan
What is peptidoglycan
Repeating disaccharide with amino acid in a side chain extending from each disaccharide
This results in a stable cross linked structure
Function of the bacterial cell wall
•Maintains cell osmotic pressure in hypotonic environment
•contributes to sensitivity to certain antimicrobial agents (penicillin) and the immune system (antibodies, phagocytes)
•determines reactivity to Gram stain
What’s the size of a bacteria
0.2-5Mm
Describe the ribosomes of bacteria
70s (50s+30s)
The 2 subunits are targets for different antibiotics
What inhibits the formation of 50s ribosomal subunit in bacteria
Erythromycin
What drugs target the 50s ribosomal subunit of bacteria
Macrolides
Clindamycin
Chloramphenicol
What drugs target the 30s ribosomal subunit of bacteria
Aminoglycosides
Tetracycline
What is a protoplast
If peptidoglycan is digested away from the cell, gram positive cells lose their cell walls and become protoplasts.
Give 2 characteristics of the cell wall of a gram + bacteria
Thick peptidoglycan (60-90% of cell wall)
Contains Tachoic acid
What three things are present in gram- bacteria but absent in gram+ bacteria
Outer membrane
Periplasmic space
Lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin)
What’s the function of the techoic acid
( polysaccharide, antigenic) Important for serologic identification of some bacteria
Characteristics of the cell wall in a gram- bacteria
•Very thin peptidoglycan
•No techoic acid
•A unique outer cell membrane
•Periplasmic space
•Lipopolysacharide (endotoxin)
Function of the outer cell membrane in gram- bacteria
◦excludes all hydrophobic molecules (•This protects the bacteria from the action of bile salts and toxins of the gut)
◦contain narrow, restrictive protein channels called porins which permits passage of low molecular weight hydrophilic molecules.
◦Large antibiotic molecules penetrate the outer membrane slowly (antibiotic resistance)
Where is the periplasmic space found
between the cytoplasmic membrane and the outer membrane
What does the Periplasmic space contain in gram- bacteria
contains digestive enzymes and other transport proteins
What does the lipopolysaccharide in the gram- bacteria contain
•polysaccharide O antigens used in typing gram negatives (easiest target for the humoral response of the host)
• lipid A or endotoxin. Endotoxin can trigger fever and septic shock in gram negative infections
What does endotoxin trigger in gram- bacterial infections
fever and septic shock
What’s the function of Lipopolysaccharide found on the gram- bacteria
LPS also protects the cell from phagocytosis, penicillins and the antibacterial enzyme lysozyme
What are the flagella built of
Flagella are built of proteins and are strongly antigenic.
What’s the antigen found in flagella
The H antigens and are important targets of protective antibody response
What’s another name for o antigen
Somatic antigen
What are the differences shapes or forms
flagella can be
•polar/monotrichous (single cell, restricted to the pole),
• lophotrichous (a tuft at one pole)
•amphitrichous: one or more flagella at both ends of the cell
•peritrichous (distributed over the cell surface).
•ceohalotrichous: a tuft both ends
How do you describe a bacteria with no flagella
Atrichous
Other than locomotion, what other function does the flagella have in bacteria
• Flagella can help in identifying certain types of bacteria e.g, Proteus species show a rapid ‘swarming’ type of growth on solid media.
•Highly antigenic
Describe the capsule of a bacteria
A gelatinous polysaccharide and/or polypeptide outer covering
•It may be firmly attached or loosely attached as a slime layer
What’s is a biofilm
Within the slime layer (more slimy than capsule) many cells can come together to form a biofilm, which may protect them from antibiotics and toxins
Functions of a capsule in bacteria
•Virulence factor, protecting bacteria from phagocytosis by immune cells(has the most angtigenic variations) e.g Streptococcus pneumoniae .
•Permit bacteria, to adhere to cell surfaces and structures such as medical implants, catheters and so on.
•Capsules can be a source of nutrients and energy to microbes
•Prevents cell from drying out (desiccation)
•Polysaccharides from certain capsules is antigenic and can elicit production of protective antibodies
What is the point of adherence in bacteria
•Adherence is an important first step in colonization and sometimes leads to disease.
What is capsule made up of
Capsular antigen
Example of capsule being a source of nutrients and energy for bacteria
Streptococcus mutans, which colonizes teeth, ferments the sugar in the capsule and the acid byproducts contribute to tooth decay.
Examples of capsules that are highly antigenic
Included in vaccines
•Such a vaccine is used against Hemophilus influenzae , Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis.
Describe the DNA of bacteria
the cytoplasm contains DNA, which is typically a single circle concentrated in a nucleoid region and not membrane bound
Describe how the genetic information of bacteria are Carried
Genetic information is carried in a long double stranded DNA. This is the chromosome, which comprise genes.
• Genetic information may also be extrachromosomal, present as plasmid
What are the plasmids I’m the bacteria
Small, extrachromosomal DNA circles.
How do plasmids replicate
•Plasmids replicate independently of the chromosome
What’s the function of a plasmid in a bacteria
carry genes that are not essential for cell survival but may give some advantage to an organism e.g they can carry genes for antibiotic resistance and toxin production.
What is a pili in bacteria
project from the cell wall but are more rigid than the flagella.
•Also called fimbriae
Functions of pili In bacteria
They function in attachment to host cells (act as adhesins)
•They prevent phagocytosis
What kind of bacteria are pili seen In more
Present in many Gram negative bacteria
◦e. g Neisseria gonorrhoea uses its fimbriae to attach to the lining of the genital tract and initiate an STD
What are the 2 types of pili
Somatic pili
Sex pili (F pili)
Which pili is used for conjugation
F. Pili
Sex pili act to join bacterial cells for transfer of DNA from one cell to another (bacterial conjugation)
Functions of fibriae (other than prevent phagocytes and for adhesion)
•Fimbriae also act as receptors for viruses that infect bacteria (bacteriophages)
•Fimbriae and cell walls of Streptococcus pyogenes are coated with M protein.