Ch1: Skin Flashcards
Pathogens usually enter the lower layers of epidermis and dermis after what?
Damage
Pathogens can infect the follicle how?
Descending from surface of skin
Pathogens can also infect subcutaneous and dermis how?
Leaving the blood
Function of the skin is to do what? (6)
- Protect from environment
- Sensation
- Shape
- Temp regulation
- Blood pressure
- Synthesize Vitamin D
Normal skin flora inhabit what areas predominately?
Moist: groin, armpits
What are the most common genera of skin flora? 2
- Staph epidermidis (100% of pop)
2. Staph aureus (20% of pop)
Host defenses of the skin include?
- Stratum corneum: Sloughed cells carry microbes away
- Low moisture = fewer microbes
- Salty sweat = discourage growth
- Sebum = decreases pH –> discourage growth
- Hair follicles = Produce lysozyme
- Lower temperature = discourage growth
- Langerhans cells = APC’s of skin
- Innate immunity
What are the two steps for inflammation of the skin? (2)
- Recognition
2. Recruitment
What happens in recognition?
Bacterial components such as peptidoglycan, LPS, and other PAMP’s are recognize by Toll-like receptors that cause release of inflmmatory cytokines
What happens in recruitment?
Effector cells are recruited to the site of infection by cytokines
What is the effect of cytokines on blood capillaries?
Dilates them –>
- WBC’s recruited
- Leakage of plasma –> Redness
Why does an inflammation cause pain in the skin?
Due to high density of nerve endings in the skin, swelling causes pain
What is pus formed from? (2)
- Neutrophils
2. Lysis of foreign things
Viscosity of pus is due to what?
DNA
What does TLR-4 recognize?
LPS from gram-negative bacteria
Infections of the skin are of what 3 categories?
Breach in skin
Hematogenous infection
Toxin-mediated damage
What is a macule?
Circumscribed change in skin color that is NOT raised
What is a papule?
Does it have liquid?
Solid elevated lesion with raised edges
Yes and No.
What is a pustule?
Circumscribed raised cavity containing pus
What is a abscess/boil?
Localized inflammation with pus
What is a furuncle?
Acute, deep-seated red hot nodule or abscess
What is a carbuncle?
Where are they normally found?
Deeper-seated composed of interconnecting abscesses/boils in subcutaneous fat
Neck and upper back where skin is elastic
What two lesions of the skin have pus?
What is pus due to?
Pustule and Abscess/boil
Neutrophils
What is staphylococci’s shape?
Spheres in clusters (Grape-like)
What is the test for staphylococcus?
Coagulase test
Staph aureus secretes what enzyme?
Coagulase
What does coagulase do?
Converts fibrinogen to fibrin
How does the coagulase test work?
Bacteria sample is suspeneded in tube with rabbit plasma, if the bacteria has coagulase produced, a clot will form due to fibrin formation
What does the aureus mean in staph aureus?
Gold, which i the color of colonies
Is staph aureus gram positive or negative?
Positive
Size of staph aureus?
1.0 um in diameter
What is the habitat of staph aureus?
- Human skin
- Anterior nares
- Conjunctivitis
- hands and fingers
- Arms and groin
What percentage of human population is colonized with staph aureus?
25-35%
Transmission of staph aureus is through what?
- Direct contact
- Fomites
- Endogenous
What are fomites?
Objects that can transmit an organism
What does endogenous mean?
Part of normal flora, but can accumulate or go somewhere they shouldn’t
What is a virulence factor?
Something that can promote disease
What are the two cell-associated virulence factors of staph aureus? (2)
- Polysaccharide capsule
2. Protein A
Function of polysaccharide capsule?
Surrounds the bacteria and acts as an anti-phagocytic
Function of protein A?
binds the FC portion of IgG antibodies (including those directed towards itself) which inhibits antibody-mediated phagocytosis
Where is Protein A exactly?
On cell wall and linked to PTG
What are the two secreted virulence factors of staph aureus?
Exfoliatin
Superantigens
What is exfoliatin?
Protease that degrades desmosomes of tight junctions between cells in epidermis
What does exfoliatin cause? (2)
- Scalded skin syndrome
2. Bullous impetigo
Genes encoding S. aureus superantigens are located where?
What type of transfer does this allow for?
In mobile genetic elements such as bacteriophage and pathogenicity islands
Horizontal transfer
Do all staph aureus species have the same superantigens?
No, different isolates have different compositions
Superantigens bind to what? 2
Simultaneously to the MHC class II molecule on surface of APC’s and the T-cell receptor
Result of superantigens binding to APC and T cell?
Non-specific stimulation of T cells (2-20%) resulting in excessive cytokine release leading to to fever, hypotension, rash and a variety of other clinical manifestations
What is the most common and important superantigens?
What does it cause?
Symptoms? (3)
Toxic Shock Toxin-1 (TST-1)
Toxic Shock Syndrome
Fever, Hypotension, Shock
What are the two categories of staph infections?
Bacterial
Toxigenic
What does bacteria disease of staph do?
The bacteria invades and evokes clinical manifestations
What does toxigenic disease of staph mean?
Clinical manifestations are due to staph toxin only
Skin diseases of staph?
- Abscess
- Impetigo
- Folliculitis
- Style
- Carbuncles
- Furuncles
What is impetigo?
Infection of epidermis leading to bullous impetigo
What is foliculitis?
Infection of hair follicle
What is a stye?
Folliculitis in eye
What are the three main bacterial versions of staph infection?
- Skin diseases
- Wound Infection
- Bacteremia
What can cause bacteremia? (4)
- Ruptured abscess
- Injury
- Needle
- Surgery
What can staph cause once in the blood? 4
Osteomyelitis
Arthritis
Pneumonia
Endocarditis
Three forms of toxigenic disease from staph aureus?
- Scalded skin syndrome
- Bullouis impetigo
- Toxic shock syndrome
Scalded skin syndrome is due to what?
Exfoliatin toxin
What does the exfoliatin toxin do uppon reaching the blood?
Spreads out and degrades desmosomes of epidermis –> Top layer of epidermis to be released
Complications of SSS? 2
- Fluid loss
2. Secondary infections of skin
How does scalded skin syndrome appear?
What population gets it?
Burn or blister
Neonates and children
How do you diagnose SSS? 2
- Patient history
2. Biopsy
What is bullous impetigo?
What causes it?
Localized SSS
Exfoliatin toxin
Toxic shock syndrome is caused by what?
Superantigens that nonspecifically stimulate cytokine production.
Most potent superantigen of s. aureus?
What can it cross that other superantigens can’t?
TST-1
Cross mucal membrane
TSS is based on what 4 features?
- Fever greater than 102
- Hypotension less than 90 mmHg
- Rash
- Abnormalities in 3 organ systems
Two types of TSS?
Menstrual
Non-menstrual
Describe menstrual TSS.
S. aureus that normally colonizes the vagina grows to greater numbers during menstruation –> Produced superantigen (mainly TST-1) –> Crosses mucosa –> Enters blood –> Causes symptoms of TSS
Increased growth of s. aureus during menstruation is due to what? (3)
- Increase supply of nutrients in vagina
- Increase in pH of vagina
- Drying of vaginal mucosa by highly absorbent tampons leading to tears in epithelium
TST-1 production in menstrual TSS is enhanced by what?
Presence of synthetic fibers used in tampons
What is non-menstrual TSS? 2
- When superantigens produced by S. aureus colonizaiton of skin/wounds enters the bloodstream to cause systemic effects
- S. aureus is present in bloodstream and produces superantigens.
Non-menstrual TSS is associated with what? 4
- Post-operative
- Post partum
- Barrier contraceptives
- Cutaneous infections
What are the two tests to run when diagnosing potential staph aureus?
- Gram-stain = Positive
2. Coag test = Positive
S. aureus grows well on what medium?
Blood-agar
Mannitol salt agar is useful for what reasons in testing for staph aureus
- Selective: Selects ability of staph to grow in high salt environment
- Differential: S. aureus can ferment mannitol causing pH indicator to turn yellow
Why is culturing so important with staph aureus?
Have to determine degree the strain has resistance to different antibiotics
Treatment of skin lesions of staph aureus includes what?
Incision and drainage with or without mupirocin or additional antibiotics
What does antibiotic use against s. aureus depend on?
- Speed lesion is progressing
- Systemic symptoms
- extremes of age
What percentage of staph aureus is resistant to penicillin?
Why?
90%
Produce a penicillinase which degrades penicillin
MRSA is an isolate that is resistant to what?
All penicillinase-resistant Beta-lactam antibiotics: Methicillin, oxacillin, floxacillin
Resistance to methicillin-like antibiotics is associated with what?
What is this?
mecA gene
Mobile DNA element that encodes a penicillin binding protein that is NOT activated by methicillin like antibiotics
Due to the significance of MRSA how do we designate s. aureus?
MRSA = Resistant MSSA = Sensitive
Is hospital acquired MRSA different from community acquired?
Why?
Yes
They are different genetically, and HA-MRSA is more resistant to antibiotics
Which of the two, HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA is a recently emerged infectious agent?
CA-MRSA
CA-MRSA have what gene?
mecA
CA-MRSA can have what effects in addition to normal s. aureus? (3)
- Necrotizing fasciitis
- Purpura fulminans
- Necrotizing pneumonia
Treatment of CA-MRSA is most effective when?
If the antibiotic sensitivity of the organism is determined.
In severe cases in which MRSA is suspected, what antibiotics are used? 3
Vancomycin
Linezolid
Daptomycin
CA-MRSA requires what to be accurately treated?
Multiple sampling for > 90% sensitivity
Treatment of CA-MRSA depends on what? 2
- Severity of disease
2. Local susceptibility data
What is VISA?
Vancomycin-intermediate resistant staph aureus
VISA produces what anatomically?
Thicker cell wall of PTG that decreases vancomycin’s ability to weaken cell wall
What is VRSA?
Vancomycin-resistant staph aureus
VRSA has what genetic advantage?
What does this do?
Where did it get it from?
vanA gene
Modifies structure of PTG making it not susceptible to vancomycin
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci
VanA VRSA have what protein change?
D-ala D-lac in PTG crosslinking instead of D-ala, D-ala
What vaccine exists for staph aureus?
None
What does the word streptococci mean?
Streptus = Pliant Cocci = Berry
How does strep stain in a gram stain?
Gram positive
Two special shape characteristics of strep?
- Spherical
2. Cell division occurs in one plane –> Chain
How does strep react in a catalase test?
Catalase = Negative
Is strep an anaerobe or aerobe?
Do they tolerate O2?
Anaerobe
Yes
Two ways to classify strep?
Hemolysis
Lancefield
Describe the hemolysis classification of strep
Beta strep: Complete cleaning around colony
Alpha: Partial clearing (green)
Gamma: No hemolysis
What is hemolysis of strep performed on?
Agar plates with blood
What is lancefield classificaiton based on?
Presence of different carbohydrates in the cell walls of different strep species
How many species are in Group A and Group B strep?
Essentially one each
What is the Group A strep?
Streptococcus pyogenes