Bacteriology Exam 12 (Spirochetes, Rickettsia, Chlamydia) Flashcards
What 3 spirochete genera are pathogenic to humans?
Leptospira
Borrelia
Treponema
What allows for spirochete motility?
Axial fibrils wound around a flexible cell wall, surrounded by an outer sheath (periplasmic flagella)
How does Treponema reproduce, as compared to Borrelia or Leptospira?
Treponema - transverse fission
Borrelia + Leptospira - binary fission
Describe the difference in “spirochete shape” between the 3 spirochetes discussed.
Leptospira - many tight coils with one or both ends being hooked
Borrelia - thicker with fewer and loose coils
Treponema - in between ^ with straight ends
What specimen types can be observed by WHICH type of microscopy of the Leptospira sp.?
Urine, Blood, CSF by darkfield or fluorescence microscopy
Virulence mechanisms of Leptospira
Reduced phagocytosis
Hemolysin production by some strains
Endotoxins
How is Leptospira typically spread from animals to humans?
Through urine of infected animals (usually rodents) and humans ingest contaminated food/water or swim in infected water
What media should be inoculated for optimal recovery of Leptospira?
EMJH or Fletcher’s medium
What tick is associated with Lyme disease?
Western black-legged deer tick (Ixodes, hard tick)
What tick is associated with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever?
Brown dog tick
Which spirochetes readily uptake stain and can be visualized with a gram stain or Wright-Giemsa stain, unlike other spirochetes?
Borrelia
What spirochete is grown using Kelly medium?
Borrelia
Borrelia spp. causes 2 main diseases, which are?
- Lyme disease
- Relapsing fever
Louse-borne relapsing fever is caused by what?
Borrelia recurrentis
Hard tick-borne relapsing fever is caused by what?
Borrelia miyamotoi
Soft tick-borne relapsing fever is caused by what?
Borrelia hermsii
Lyme disease is caused by what?
Borrelia burgdorferi
Relapsing fever (B. recurrentis) S&S
Reoccurring high-grade fevers associated with rigors and muscle spasms, abruptly ends with humoral response and reoccurs weeks later again and again
Endemic relapsing fever vs epidemic relapsing fever
Endemic - tick borne (B. hermsii) - Ornithodorus
Epidemic - louse borne (B. recurrentis) - Pediculus humanus
What louse spreads B. recurrentis causing relapsing fever?
Pediculus humanus
Drug of choice for treatment of B. recurrentis
Tetracycline
What is Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions?
fever, chills, headache, and myalgia due to B. recurrentis release of endotoxin
Clinical S&S of Lyme disease
Bulls-eye rash at site of tick bite (stage 1)
Bone/joint pain and fatigue (stage 2)
Chronic neurological/cardiac involvement with memory loss, arthritis (stage 3)
Only move to higher stages if disease goes untreated.
Virulence + pathogenicity of B. burgdorferi
B. burgdorferi binds plasminogen and urokinase plasminogen activators to its surface
Do we need to know western blotting for B. burgdorferi??
What is the first test performed for B. burgdorferi?
IFA or EIA
If positive and S&S >30 days: IgG western blot
If positive and S&S <30 days: IgG and IgM western blot
Treatment for Borrelia burgdorferi in early stages of disease
Doxycycline + amoxicillin (synergy)
Treatment for Borrelia burgdorferi in chronic stages of disease
Ceftriaxone
What does T. pallidum pallidum cause?
Syphilis
What does T. pallidum pertenue cause?
yaws
What does T. pallidum endemicum cause?
Bejel aka endemic syphilis
What does T. carateum cause?
Pinta
T. pallidum pathogenicity and virulence
- Can cross mucous membranes and placenta
- Can disseminate to any organ
- Antigenic variation makes humoral response chronic
Differentiate between the 3 stages of syphilis
Stage 1: Localized chancre
Stage 2: Generalized prodromal illness with rashes on hands/feet
Stage 3: No longer contagious unless relapse, 66% develop gummas on skin/organs, and 33% spontaneously cure
S&S of congenital syphilis
Hutchinson’s sign on teeth
CNS damage
Hepatosplenomegaly
Anemia
Mucocutaneous lesions
Osteochondritis
Why should oral lesions for Syphilis testing be treated with care?
Treponema can be normal oral flora, so may not always be T. pallidum
Most commonly used diagnostic method for T. pallidum
Serology testing
Non treponemal - RPR/VDRL flocculation reactions
Treponemal - TP-PA, EIA
Treponemal vs non-treponemal testing
Treponemal testing is for confirmatory testing (IFA, Trep antibody)
Non-treponemal testing is for screening (RPR)
What is the principle behind the RPR/VDRL test?
Detects Reagin directed against cardiolipin
VDRL can use serum or CSF
RPR uses serum only and uses charcoal particles
drug of choice for treatment of Syphilis
Penicillin
S&S of Yaws and what Treponema causes this?
Granulomatous nodules in skin with gangosa, soft/hard palate/nasal infection, erodes bone/cartilage/soft tissue in face
Caused by T. pallidum pertenue
S&S of Pinta and what Treponema causes this?
Skin papules leading to skin de-pigmentation
Caused by T. carateum
What is the main sexually transmitted Treponema?
T. pallidum pallidum