Exam 3 Flashcards
Alveoli:
tiny sacs in lungs that allow oxygen and carbon dioxide to move between the lungs and bloodstream
mucociliary escalator
cilia are continually pushing mucus up and out into the throat- the mucociliary escalator is a major barrier against infection. Microorgs hoping to infect the respt tract get caught in the sticky mucus and are pushed upwards toward the throat
URT versus LRT
UTR: Sinuses, naspharyns, pharyns, oral cavity, larynx
LTR: trachea, bronchi, lungs
UTR damage may increase risk of LTR infection- LTR infections are most fatal
Respt tract is portal to elsewhere
Be able to list some antimicrobial defenses of the respiratory tract. What are some features of the environment of the respiratory tract?
Resp secretions in the nasal, airway surface, alveolar fluid- contain lysozymes, lactoferrin, antimicrobial peptides, surfactants, IgA, mucus, reactive nitrogen species
Mucociliary clearance- also sneezing and coughing’
What are some of the major genera of bacteria found in the upper respiratory tract? Which ones are considered commensal pathogens?
Aerobes and anaerobes
In the front of the UTR- s nasopharyns: firmicutes, mollicutes, actinobacteria
-such as staphylccocus spp, streptococcus spp
Rear of UTR: so pharynx/larynx: firmicutes and proteobacteira
-such as streptococcus spp, neisseria
Commensals include: staphylococcus, streptococcus
. What is the old and the new view about the population of microbes found in the lower respiratory tract? Why is this difficult to determine?
They help decrease allergic airway inflammation directly and indirectly- help promote health
What are some diseases of dysbiosis that may occur in the respiratory tract?
Asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis- all caused by low microbial diversity
Asthma: caused when total proteobacteria increase, and the proportion of streptococcus within firmicutes increases
COPD: total proteobacteria increase, and proportion of staphylococcus and streptococcus within firmicutes increases
Cystic fibrosis: total proteobacteria increase, and actinobacteria increase
Transmission of respt tract microbes:
- acquire from environment
- self to self: aspiration from UTR to LTR, spread to hands, spread to bloodstream
- person to person: droplet size (smaller spread better), contamination of fomites, life of microbe outside host varies
Measles Reservoir:
humans only
Measles Basic biology and contribution of this to disease
: enveloped single stranded, negative strand RNA virus
Measles Mechanism of transmission
coughing, sneezing
Measles Major sites of colonization
resp tract, infects epithelial cells
Measles Major sites of disease – are they the same or different than colonization sites
spreads everywhere- resp tract, gi tract, skin, liver, small blood vessels, lymphatic system,
Measles Main diseases
sore throat, fever, rash, can cause complications such as secondary infections from immunosuppression and epithelial cell damage, pneumonia-most common cause of death, and diarrhea
Other complications: poor pregnancy outcomes, fever and seizures, ocular damage including blindness,
Measles Major virulence factors
transient but profound immunosupression
Measles Main disease symptoms
sore throat, fever, rash
Measles Main treatment and control
): live attenuated vaccine (doesn’t kill pathogen, just inactivates it)
What are the main features of the basic biology of measles virus?
Enveloped, singles stranded, negative strand RNA virus, has replicase enzyme (needed because only positive strand mRNA can be directly translated to make proteins, negative strands can’t be translated, so positive strands need to be made from this, which is what replicase does, and makes more negative strands from positive trand)
What are the main host receptors for measles virus and what types of cells are they found on?
CD150- found on dendritic, B and T cells
Nectin 4- also receptor, on epithelial cells
- Why are significant complications associated with measles virus infection?
Because it is transient but causes profound immunosuppression
It causes local replication in respiratory dendritic cells, spreads to lymphatic system, causes viremia (presence of virus in blood) and wide dissemination (spread) to the respt tract, skin, gi tract, liver, small blood vessels, lymphatic system. Causes sore throat, fever, cough, rash- causes brief but profound immunosupression
And it exits via respiratory epithelial cells
Influenza Reservoir
birds, other animals, people. All types present within bird populations
Influenza Basic biology and contribution of this to disease
enveloped, negative single stranded RNA genome, many subtypes, has cap and RNA polymerase, has segmented pieces if RNA- allows it to affect different organisms due to genetic diversity, also makes it hard to create vaccines
Influenza Mechanism of transmission
within bird populations, respiratory and fecal-oral route in birds,
animal to human transmission of animal types: direct contact with animal,
human-human transmission of human types: spread through inhalation of virus-containing aerosols and droplets
virus is unstable and inactivated by heat, dryness, pH extremes and detergents
Influenza Major sites of colonization
infects local UTR
infects epithelial cells, infects cell receptors with sialic acids
SA-alpha-2,6-Gal preferred by human types
SA-alpha-2,3-Gal preferred by avian types
Influenza Major sites of disease – are they the same or different than colonization sites:
local upper respiratory tract infection, may spread to LTR, usually not elsewhere in body
Influenza Main diseases
vsymptoms caused by immune response, complications include secondary bacterial infections (by S. pneumoniae, S. aureus, S. pyogenese
Influenza Major virulence factors
envelope, ssRNA, capsid proteins
Influenza Main disease symptoms
fever, headache, nasal discharge, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea
Influenza Main treatment and control
vaccines
Be able to describe the influenza A virus replication cycle, including the role of HA, NA, and replicase
NA: 11 major subtypes of neuraminidase- catalyze break down of glycosides containing neuraminic acid
HA: 18 major subtypes of hemagglutinin- causes hemagglutination- clumping together of RBCs
Initiation of virus infection involves multiple HAs binding to sialic acids
Adhesion to host cell using Has to bind to sialic acids occurs- entry into the host cell;
entry of vRNPs into the nucleus;
transcription and replication of the viral genome;
export of the vRNPs from the nucleus;
and assembly and budding at the host cell plasma membrane.
In order for the virus to be released from the cell, neuraminidase must enzymatically cleave the sialic acid groups from host glycoproteins.[
- What is the biological basis for continuing annual influenza outbreaks?
Virus evolution is rapid- antigenic drift
Virus may reassert- antigenic shift
- What is the biological basis for pandemics caused by Influenza A virus?
Pigs are susceptible to both human and avian virus strands. They act as an intermediate step in combining avian, human, and swine influenza genetic material. This occurs when pigs become infected with both human and avian virus. The influenza RNA strands reassort while in the pig to form new combinations of avian, swine, and human strands. In turn, these new influenza viruses could possible infect humans and have surface proteins (H and N proteins) not previously seen by the human immune system, creating a pandemic strain that can spread worldwide.
Streptococcus pneumoniae Reservoir
humans only
Streptococcus pneumoniae Basic biology and contribution of this to disease
: gram positive, encapsulated, circular DNA, has extracellular toxins, surface adhesins
Streptococcus pneumoniae Mechanism of transmission
: person-person via resp secretions, aerosols
Streptococcus pneumoniae Major sites of colonization
: it is a normal part of the URT flora, but can become pathogenic under immune suppressed conditions using adhesins
Streptococcus pneumoniae Major sites of disease – are they the same or different than colonization sites
colonizes UTR- esp nose, but spreads to LRT (lungs- causes pneumonia) and other parts of body such as ear, brain (causes meningitis)
Streptococcus pneumoniae Main diseases:
pneumonia (lungs), brain(meningitis
Streptococcus pneumoniae Major virulence factors
: has anticomplement invasion factors, extracellular matrix degrading protein, surface adhesins, extracellular toxins and enzymes
Streptococcus pneumoniae Main disease symptoms
chills, fever, cough. If left untreated can progress to septic shock, acute respirator failure and death
Streptococcus pneumoniae Main treatment and control
- antibiotics (however, is resistant to penicillin) macrolides and second generation beta-lactams- resistance is increasing.
- vaccines- PCV- polycalenin conjugated vaccine- improves antibody response
What is thought to be the role of biofilm formation and dispersal in colonization and disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae?
When S. pneumonia grows in biofilms, genes are specifically expressed that respond to oxidative stress
the host’s polymorphonuclear leukocytes produce an oxidative burst to defend against the invading bacteria, and this response can kill bacteria by damaging their DNA. Competent S. pneumoniae in a biofilm have the survival advantage that they can more easily take up transforming DNA from nearby cells in the biofilm to use for recombinational repair of oxidative damages in their DNA
What is the significance of autolysis for the bacterium s. pneumoniae and for the host?
Autolysis releases MAMPs, which activates the immune response, which causes damage
What is the basic sequence of events in pneumococcal pneumonia? What type of host response is responsible for much of the symptoms of disease?
UTR damage leads to it being introduced into the LRT which can either result in clearance or bacterial growth and then cell lysis. The capsule around pneumococcus prevents clearance, neutrophils are recruited, inflammation occurs at site of infection, and damage occurs.
Host inflammatory response is responsible for most of symptoms
Diphtheria- “the strangling angel”
Diphtheria Reservoir
humans
Diphtheria Basic biology and contribution of this to disease
: gram positive, diphtheria exotoxin, rod shaped
Diphtheria Mechanism of transmission
human contact through respiratory glands like coughing and sneezing, airborne transmission
Diphtheria Major sites of colonization
nasal in URT and skin, can colonize skin lesions of other origins, usually on lower legs, feet or hands
Diphtheria Major sites of disease – are they the same or different than colonization sites:
URT and skin so same as colonization sites
Diphtheria Main disease
: causes thick coating to build up in the throat or nose making it hard to breath or swallow. causes cell death du to protein inactivation. The exotoxin causes damage to nervous system, heart, kidneys, causes enlarged lymph nodes and swollen neck
Diphtheria Major virulence factors
diphtheria exotoxin, AB type, receptor is heparin-binding epidermal growth factor precursor- present on many cell types, including heart and nervous tissue cells
Diphtheria Main disease symptoms
Causes sore throat, weakness, fever, swollen glands . if not treated, can lead to difficulty breathing, heart failure, paralysis, dath