Curved bacteria

Question 1

Describe the morphology of Campylobacter.

Answer 1

Slender, spiral, gram negative

Question 2

Describe the motility of Campylobacter.

Answer 2

Single polar flagellum - corkscrew swim - swim through fluids faster than any other microbe

Question 3

What is the fastest microbe?

Answer 3

Campylobacter

Question 4

Describe the aerobic status of Campylobacter.

Answer 4

Microaerophilic and Capnophilic

Question 5

What does microaerophilic mean?

Answer 5

Don’t like a full complement of atmospheric oxygen, but not as oxygen susceptible as anaerobes.

Question 6

What does capnophilic mean?

Answer 6

Loves carbon dioxide

Question 7

Describe an important metabolic characteristics of Campylobacter.

Answer 7

Asaccharolytic

Question 8

What does Asaccharolytic mean?

Answer 8

Doesn’t split sugars at all

Question 9

What is an example Campylobacter species?

Answer 9

C. jejuni

Question 10

What are the principal reservoirs for farm animals of Campylobacter?

Answer 10

Wild birds

Question 11

Where is Campylobacter always present?

Answer 11

Surface water

Question 12

Other than water, where else can people get Campylobacter?

Answer 12

raw or undercooked poultry, meat, fish and shellfish

Question 13

What kind of diarrhea does Campylobacter cause?

Answer 13

Jet propulsion

Question 14

Campylobacter is commonly found in raw _____ due to fecal contamination at ________ and occasionally to campylobacter _________.

Answer 14

milk
milking
mastitis

Question 15

What grocery store thing has really reduced infection rates of Campylobacter?

Answer 15

Air chilling

Question 16

Most common cause of acute enteritis in developed countries is due to this bacterium.

Answer 16

Campylobacter enteritis

Question 17

What are very closely related species to Campylobacter Enteritis?

Answer 17

C. jejuni and C. coli

Question 18

Campylobacter jejuni causes ____% of Campylobacter infections.

Answer 18

80-90%

Question 19

What is a rare but more serious complication of Campylobacter Enteritis?

Answer 19

Peripheral neuropathy - Guillain-Barré

Question 20

Describe Vibrio.

Motility. Gram stain. Morphology. Enzyme related to oxygen. Habitat.

Answer 20

Motile
Gram negative
Curved rod
Oxidase positive
Free living in brackish and marine waters

Question 21

Vibrio is commonly associated with what type of food?

Answer 21

Seafood

Question 22

What are the only antigens useful for classifying Vibrio?

Answer 22

O antigens

Question 23

When are Vibrio infections in coastal areas more common?

Answer 23

When the water is warmer

Question 24

V. mimimus mimics what?

Answer 24

Cholera to a lesser degree

Question 25

What is a very common cause of self-limited gastroenteritis in Japan?

Answer 25

V. parahemolyticus

Question 26

What Vibrio cholerae strains cause cholera? What do the other strains cause?

Answer 26

O1 - cholera

non-O1 cause milder diarrhea

Question 27

Where does one get cholera from?

Answer 27

Contaminated drinking water

Question 28

How does the cholera toxin exert its effects?

Answer 28

Cholera toxin binds to GM 1 ganglioside receptors on intestinal mucosa –> activates cAMP –> inhibits sodium reabsorption and causes Cl- secretion

Question 29

What is a description often given to the very-water diarrhea of those affected by cholera?

Answer 29

rice-water stool - slightly cloudy

Question 30

In severe cases (cholera gravis), how is dehydration treated?

Answer 30

oral rehydration solution or IV fluids

Question 31

How can vibrio cholerae O1 be subclassified?

Answer 31

According to 3 antigenic seroptyes (Ogawa, Inaba, Hikojima); and two biogroups - classical and El Tor

Question 32

Describe the cholera toxin.

Answer 32

Central active - A - subunit

and non-toxic pentameric binding - B - subunits

Question 33

What is the cholera vaccine?

Why is it extra-useful?

Answer 33

Dukoral

Cross-reacts with ETEC and thus can prevent traveler’s diarrhea

Question 34

What are Vibrios primarily associated with wound infections or sepsis?

Answer 34

V. vulnificus
V. alginolyticus
V. damsela

Question 35

Which vibrio is the monster of the deep?

Answer 35

Vibrio vulnificus

Question 36

What are the two main syndromes caused by Vibrio vulnificus?

Answer 36

Primary sepsis (in patients with underlying chronic diseases - esp. liver disease)
Wound infections (including necrotizing fasciitis)

Question 37

What are vibrio vulnificus infections usually due to?

Answer 37

Swimming in sea water with open wound or cleaning raw shellfish

Question 38

Although people used to think that peptic ulcer diathesis was due to acid, what is it really due to?

Answer 38

infection of the stomach lining by Helicobacter

Question 39

Describe Helicobacter.

• Motility
• Where do they colonize? Why is this weird?
• What is the main Helicobacter sp?

Answer 39

polar flagella
Colonize stomach lining - which is weird considering bacteria don’t usually tolerate acid
Helicobacter pylori

Question 40

How are Helicobacters able to evade stomach acid?

Answer 40

Live in the mucous layer

Produce a very high amount of urease enzyme - splits ammonia and produces a very alkaline microenvironment

Question 41

How does one diagnose an H. pylori infection?

Answer 41

Anntibody blood test
Radioactive urea and do a breath test
Endoscopic biopsy

Question 42

What is a virulence factor of H. pylori

Answer 42

It produces a cytotoxin

Question 43

What does helicobacter cause?

What is the relation to cancer?

Answer 43

Helicobacter causes acute gastritis and gastric/duodenal ulcers
Associated with gastric cancer and gastric B-cell lymphoma

Question 44

What is another term for gastric B cell lymphoma?

Answer 44

MALToma