Bailey- Clostridia

Question 1

Clostridium is strictly _______ and can produce what when environmental conditions are not favorable?

Answer 1

strictly anaerobic

can produce endospores

Question 2

what type of toxins are produced by clostridium that causes disease symptoms?

Answer 2

Proteinaceous (protein based) toxins

Question 3

T/F: Few bacteria have the ability to form endospores

Answer 3

True

Question 4

when in spore form, an organism can remain viable for how long?

Answer 4

hundreds of years

Question 5

what is the opposite of the spore stage of a bacteria?

Answer 5

vegetative stage

Question 6

T/F: Clostridium difficile got its name because it was difficult to culture?

Answer 6

true

Question 7

Pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) are yellow plaques containing what? Where are they found?

Answer 7

fibrin and cellular debris. found in ulcers of the colon

-from C. difficile

Question 8

what organism is the leading cause of nosocomial (hospital related) diarrhea?

Answer 8

C. difficile

Question 9

C. difficile is often harbored in a dormant state in the ___ _____ of a small % of healthy humans

Answer 9

large intestine

Question 10

what happens when C. difficile enters its vegetative state?

Answer 10

• toxin production begins. results in diarrhea.

- invasion of bowel wall does not occur

Question 11

C. difficile does not invade the bowel wall….. which other bacteria share this characteristic?

Answer 11

E. coli and V. cholerae

Question 12

C. difficile produces Toxin A, a ______, as well as Toxin B, a _____

Answer 12

Toxin A - enterotoxin

Toxin B- cytotoxin

Question 13

both Toxin A and B act in the cytoplasm of host cell to _______ GTP-binding proteins

Answer 13

glycosylate

-cells lose structure and die

Question 14

C. perfringens is a major pathogen of what?

Answer 14

wound infections

Question 15

C. perfringens has invasive properies due to a variety of _____

Answer 15

toxins produced

Question 16

C. perfringens must have what conditions to germinate in human tissue?

Answer 16

• anaerobic
• compromised blood supply
• calcium ions
• available peptides and AA’s

Question 17

Toxins produced by C. perfringens cause cellulitis, which can turn into what?

Answer 17

gas gangrene- necrotizing, gas forming process of muscle

Question 18

C. perfringens produces 12 toxins, the main one being _______

Answer 18

Alpha-toxin (lecithinase)

Question 19

what does the Alpha-toxin of C. perfringens do?

Answer 19

damages cell membrane

-causes gas gangrene

Question 20

treatment of C. perfringens infection

Answer 20

A) surgical removal of infected muscle

B) antibiotics to control infection

Question 21

C. perfringens sporulate, producing ______ in intestines of people consuming contaminated food

Answer 21

enterotoxins

cause food poisoning

Question 22

T/F: food poisoning from perfringens requires immediate antibiotic treatment

Answer 22

false- its self limiting and disappears in 1-3 days

Question 23

Clostridium botulinum forms heat-resistant ______, and is the causative agent of what illness?

Answer 23

heat-resistant spores

causes botulism

Question 24

T/F: botulism is caused by pre-formed toxin, meaning the organism does not need to be present

Answer 24

true

Question 25

C. botulinum produces _______, named BoNT

Answer 25

neurotoxins

Question 26

BoNT from C. botulinum prevents the release of what neurotransmitter?

Answer 26

acytylcholine

Question 27

death from BoNT results from what?

Answer 27

flaccid paralysis (respiratory failure)

Question 28

what are the 3 forms of botulism?

Answer 28

1) food-borne
2) wound botulism (rare)
3) infant botulism

Question 29

why are no antibiotics necessary when treating C. botulinum?

Answer 29

the toxins are preformed, meaning that killing the bacteria would not effect the course of the illness

Question 30

Clostridium tetani is ubiquitous in the _____ of humans and animals

Answer 30

GI tract

Question 31

Germination of C. tetani spores triggers the production of what major toxin?

Answer 31

tetanospasmin

Question 32

T/F: tetanospasmin is made up of 2 toxic chains linked together

Answer 32

false- individual chains are non-toxic

Question 33

tetanospasmin from C. tetani attaches to _______ nerves and inhibits _____ release

Answer 33

peripheral nerves

inhibits GABA release

Question 34

by inhibiting GABA, tetanospasmin poisoning results in what?

Answer 34

reflex spasms, spastic paralysis

Question 35

what is Trismus? what is it caused by?

Answer 35

Trismus- “lockjaw”

tetanic spasm of masseter muscles

leads to respiratory failure from paralysis of chest muscles

Question 36

illness from C. tetani is preventable by giving a ____ vacine

Answer 36

DPT vaccine

the “T” of DPT stands for tetanus toxoid

Question 37

T/F: antibodies are produced after initial exposure to tetanospasmin toxin

Answer 37

False- toxin is in too low of an amount to form antibodies

Question 38

what causes pseudomembranous colitis? which bacterial species is responsible?

Answer 38

-condition forms after antibiotics. allows C. difficile to flourish when normal bacteria are killed (it hides in its spore form)