Classifications of Bacteria - Miscellaneous Bacteria Flashcards
Why can some bacterias not be stained with Gram’s method?
They do not have a cell wall
What is AAFB?
Acid and Alcohol Fast Bacilli
What is AAFB resistant to?
Decolourisation by acid or alcohol after staining with carbol fuchsin
What stains can be used with mycobacterium/AAFB?
Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) stain
Auramine
What is the clinical relevance of AAFBs?
The aetiological agent of tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a type
of the AAFB Bacilli group of mycobacteria.
What should a clinician do when suspicious of tuberculosis?
Stain the sputum samples using a Ziehl-Neelsen,
ZN, or Auramine stain.
Can AAFB be used as a definitive cause of tuberculosis?
No
What causes tuberculosis?
Mycobacteria tuberculosis
What is tuberculosis linked to?
HIV
What are non-tuberculosis mycobacteria?
Mycobacterium leprae
What does Mycobacterium leprae cause?
Leprosy
Can Mycobacterium leprae be cultured?
No
What does leprosy do?
Attack peripheral nerves
What are spirochaetes?
Long spiral bacteria
Not easily visualised by light microscopy
Very difficult to culture
How are spirochaetes seen?
Dark ground microscopy or immunoflorecense - often diagnosed by sereology
What are common spirochaete diseases?
Syphilis
Lyme disease
Leptospirosis
What is the organism that causes syphilis?
Treponema pallidium
What is the organism that causes lyme disease?
Borrelia burgodorferi
What is the organism that causes leptospirosis?
Leptospria interrogans
What is lyme disease transmitted by?
Ticks
How is leptospirosis spread?
Infected urine and body fluids
Who are at risk for leptosiprosis?
Sewage workers
Watersport
What is a clinical presentation of leptospirosis?
Weil’s disease - febrile illness with systemic upset, liver and renal failure, aseptic meningitis, 10% mortality
What can chlamydia cause?
Atypical pneumonia
Gential and neonatal infections
How can chlamydia be diagnosed?
Serology
culture only in cell lines
What is the most common STI in the UK?
Chlamydia
