Chapter 24: Microbial Diseases of Respiratory System

Question 1

What is the causative agent of typical pneumonia?

Answer 1

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (bacteria)

Question 2

What allows the bacterial pathogen to cause scarlet fever?

Answer 2

Erythrogenic toxin produced by lysogenized Streptococcus pyogenes.
Causes hypersensitivity to host.

Question 3

What is the causative agent of walking pneumonia? Why is it called walking?

Answer 3

Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
Called walking pneumonia because symptoms are very mild (low fever, cough, headache)

Question 4

What genera of bacteria commonly causes middle ear infections? What’s the scientific term?

Answer 4

• Streptococcus
• Otitis media

Question 5

What is the causative agent of tuberculosis?

Answer 5

• Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
• Can be inhaled and are phagocytized by macrophages. They then replicate within macrophages

Question 6

What are tubercles?

Answer 6

Clumps of macrophages that wall off bacteria then become calcified to form tubercles

Question 7

What disease is caused by Bortadella pertussis?

Answer 7

Whooping cough

Question 8

What vaccine is used to protect against Bortadella pertussis?

Answer 8

DTaP vaccine (Diphtheria toxoid)

Question 9

What three groups of viruses most commonly cause colds?

Answer 9

• Rhinoviruses
• Coronaviruses
• Enterovirus

Question 10

What are the principal symptoms and signs of influenza?

Answer 10

Sneezing, nasal secretion, congestion

Question 11

Which type of influenza is the most severe?

Answer 11

Influenza A

because it can allow for the biggest immune evasion due to more mutations than occur with influenza B

Question 12

What is the genome of influenza?

Answer 12

8 RNA segments (single stranded)

Question 13

What are some reservoirs of influenza?

Answer 13

Birds, pigs (mixing vessels for new strains), mammals.

Question 14

What is the function of neuraminidase?

Answer 14

Helps virus separate from the infected cell

Question 15

What is the function of Hemagglutin?

Answer 15

Recognize and attach to host cells

Question 16

What is the name of the process that produces minor variations to influenza?

Answer 16

Antigenic drift: allows virus to evade some host immunity

Question 17

How is antigenic shift accomplished?

Answer 17

• Changes enough to evade most immunity
• different influenza viruses circulating in the environment infect and multiply inside the same cell, they can then exchange genetic material and create a new virus

Question 18

What is the reason for tracking and making a new influenza vaccine each year?

Answer 18

Each strain of influenza can easily mutate by going through antigenic drift and shift of their spike proteins HA and NA.

Question 19

Why do we need to get influenza vaccine every year?

Answer 19

It is necessary to get a new influenza vaccine each year because of the antigenic drift and shift; which allow influenza virus to evade most immunity in host, and also replicate and exchange genetic material to create a new virus, one we don’t have antibodies for.

Question 20

What does the abbreviation RSV stand for?

Answer 20

Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Question 21

Describe signs and symptoms of RSV:

Answer 21

Coughing and wheezing for more than a week

Question 22

Know that a new vaccine for RSV has been recently approved for those 65 and older.

Answer 22

Palivizumab

Question 23

Which particular group (s) of people is most commonly affected by RSV?

Answer 23

Children and older adults

Question 24

What virus causes COVID-19?

Answer 24

SARS-CoV-2

Question 25

What are some signs and symptoms of COVID-19?

Answer 25

flu-like symptoms, cough, fever, and shortness of breath.
Can lead to bilateral pneumonia and the need of a ventilator to breathe

Question 26

What therapies have been FDA (emergency use) approved to treat COVID?

Answer 26

Oral antivirals:
- Paxlovid
- molnupiravir
- IV Remdesivir

Question 27

What two vaccines are in circulation in the US to help reduce severity or prevent COVID?

Answer 27

Pfizer and Moderna