Ch. Twenty-Two: Microbial Diseases of Nervous System

Question 1

Bacterial Menigitis

Answer 1

• swelling of the meninges
• symptoms: 24hrs
  1. fever, headache, nasuea
  2. stiff neck
  3. Kernig’s sign: severe stiffness in kids hamstrings
  4. Convulsions, coma, death
• rapid diagnosis: obtain CSF sample by lumbar puncture, time and storage sensitive, then:
  1. do a gram-stain
  2. culture
  3. Serology test
• treatment: 3rd generation of Cephalosporins
• not Chloroamphenical because it can cause Aplastic anemia
• precautions: avoid saliva spread

Question 2

H. influenzae

Answer 2

• requires blood for growth
• 6 strains, a-f
• type B causes 95% of cases
• 6 months- 4 year olds
• prevention: Hib vaccine

Question 3

N. meningitidis

Answer 3

• 5 strains: A, B, C, W135, Y
• C causes 100% of cases (24hrs)
• vaccine
• 5-15 year olds, college students, soldiers, and prisoners
• high fever, throbbing headache, sore throat, septicemia (amputation), and PETECHIAE (dark purplish spots)
• survivors: deathness and paralysis

Question 4

S. pneumoniae

Answer 4

• 82-83 strains (23 strains capsules well studied)
• vaccine
• children and elderly (80% death rate)
• entry point: head/neck trauma or surgery (subarchanoid space), sinusitis, and otalitis media

Question 5

L. monocytogenes

Answer 5

• no capsule
• psychotroph
• pregnant women and immunosuppressed
• in animals: subclinical, in humans: full blown meningitis
• pregnant get meningitis to fetus: miscarriage, still birth, or ill newborn
• Listeriosis

Question 6

E. Coli

Answer 6

• affect new born as passing through birth canal

Question 7

Tetanus

Answer 7

• irritability, restlessness
• lock jaw, back spasms, Opsthitonos, spinal fracture, and death
• exotoxin blocks Neuromuscular junction
• DTP vaccine (booster)
• exotoxin

Question 8

Botulism

Answer 8

• food poisoning/ endospores (germinate)
• lethal
• add NO3 and NO2 to processed foods
• dry mouth, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea or constipation in children, dilated pupils, blurred vision, CVS/Resp= death
• exotoxin blocks movement of ACh leading to paralysis
• strain A (lethal), and strain B, E, F affect humans
• strain C, D, and E affect animals

Question 9

Poliomyelitis

Answer 9

• oral-fecal (water and food)
• sore throat and nausea
• multiplies in neck and small intestine then enter blood called viremia
  2 types of viremia:
• transient: infection does not progress to lymphatic system and no symptoms are present
• persistent: enters CNS and attacks motor nerve cells resulting in paralysis