Exam 3 Spirochetes Flashcards
Spirochetes are structurually ___ like, but are not visualized by ____
Gram-negative like; Gram stain
Spirochetes should be visualized using:
- dark field microscopy
- silver stain
Spirochetes are shaped like a:
Corkscrew
Spirochete movement
Rotation locomotion via endoflagellum that wraps around the cell
Treponema is aerobic or anaerobic?
Anaerobic
Disease caused by Treponema
Syphilis
Oral treponemes are implicated in:
- periodontal disease
- acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG)
ANUG stands for
Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis
___ is vector borne
Borrelia
Leptospira is aerobic or anaerobic?
Aerobic
Relapsing fever and Lyme disease are caused by what species?
Borrelia
Third most common bacterial STD
Syphilis
What group of people have the highest rates of syphilis cases?
- American Indian or Alaska native
- Black/African American
___ account for the most cases of syphilis
Men
Vast majority of syphilis cases occur among:
Men who have sex with men (MSM)
Syphilis often occurs in patients with ____; important facilitator of ____
other STDs; HIV
Treponema pallidum looks like:
long, thin, spiral
True or false: Treponema pallidum can be cultured on medium
False - limited growth in tissue culture, rapidly dies on drying
Treponema pallidum has limited ____ capacity; it is an _____
metabolic (missing TCA cycle); obligate internal parasite
Treponema pallidum lack what two virulence factors?
- no catalase
- no superoxide dismutase
Treponema pallidum virulence factors
- immune avoidance (few surface antigens)
- surface adhesins to bind fibronectin
- hyaluronidase facilitates infiltration
Syphilis - modes of transmission
- Sexual contact
- Transplacental
- Close contact with active lesion (also perinatal)
- Blood transfusion
- Accidental direct inoculation
Patient with syphilis is most infectious during:
Early disease stages
Syphilis patient is considered not infectious after ____ years due to ____
4; low bacterial load
What are the clinical stages of syphilis?
- Primary
- Secondary
- Latent
- Tertiary
- Congenital
What happens during primary syphilis?
- primary lesion formed is a chancre
- infiltrated with lymphocytes and plasma cells
- heals after 14 days
The chancre formed during primary syphilis is:
- painless
- highly infectious
How long are you seropositive for syphilis once contracted?
For life
Primary syphilis incubation period
3-4 weeks
Where can primary syphilis chancres occur?
- lip
- tongue
- on hand (infected cut)
- genitals
A high increase of plasma cells in tissues, exudates, or blood is indicative of:
Some kind of infection (could be syphilis)
When does secondary syphilis occur?
2-10 weeks after primary syphilis
Secondary syphilis occurs in ____ of those with untreated primary syphilis
25%
What happens during secondary syphilis?
- Wide dissemination of T. pallidum (highly infectious)
- causes skin rashes, mucous patches, condylomata lata
Condylomata lata
Wart-like growths
Syphilis skin rashes are:
- widespread (palms, soles)
- macular/papular
Secondary syphilis mucous patches can occur on:
- tonsil
- soft palate
- palms and soles
- scalp (alopecia)
Latent syphilis is characterized as being:
Seropositive with no symptoms
Latent syphilis occurs in ____ of patients with untreated secondary syphilis
15%
How long can latent syphilis last?
Several years to decades
____ is more infectious than late latent stage, including transmission to fetus
Early latent
Those with HIV experience ____ if they have syphilis
Shortened latency
Tertiary syphilis is not common anymore due to _____
Antibiotics
In the beginning of a syphilis infection, bacterial load is ____. Towards the end of the infection (tertiary syphilis), bacterial load is ___
high; low
Tertiary syphilis occurs ____ after the primary infection
Several months to 30 years
In _____ syphilis, 50% develop gumma
Tertiary
Is gumma contagious?
No
Gumma is highly ____ but often painless
Destructive
What does a gumma look like?
- white-grey
- rubbery
- single or multiple
- tiny to tumor like sizes
Tertiary syphilis is associated with ____ involvement. Organisms ____
Multisystem; spread to other body parts