Final Exam Flashcards
Elevated Temperatures
- kills most microorganisms because of susceptibility of macromolecules to heat
- proteins denature and unfold
- damage to nucleic acids which prevents cell division and protein synthesis
- damage to coenzymes
Endospores
- resistant to heat and allow organisms to live in high temperatures
- belong to genera Bacillus and Clostridium
- lower water content so macromolecules are less susceptible to denaturation
- water is unavailable for chemical reactions that can damage macromolecules, coenzymes and other essential small molecules
- contain calcium dipicolinate that provides resistance to oxidizing agents that cause destruction
- specific proteins found in endospore can bind to nucleic acids and prevent denaturation
Thermal Death Point
-lowest temperature at which a population of a target organism is killed in 10 minutes
Thermal Death Time
-shortest time required to kill a suspension of cells or spores under defined conditions at a given temperature
Temperature Lethal Effects Lab
- subject cultures of 3 different bacteria to temps of 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 C
- at intervals of 10 minutes samples of test bacteria are removed and plated out to determine number of survivors
- Bacillus megaterium forms endospores and survives high temperatures
- strep faecalis is thermoduric
Antimicrobials
- compounds that kill or inhibit microorganisms
- agents can vary in their effectiveness against various pathogenic bacteria
- some are narrow in their spectrum and some may be more effective against gram-negative bacteria
- broad-spectrum antimicrobials are effective against both kinds of organisms
Antibiotics
- antimicrobials, usually of low molecular weight produced by microorganisms that inhibit or kill other microorganisms
- penicillin and streptomycin
- often chemically altered to make them more effective–>semi-synthetics
- synthetics are chemically synthesized in a lab and not produced by microbial biosynthesis
MRSA
- methicillian-resistant S. aureus
- responsible for many health-care acquired infections
Determination of Spectrum of Antimicrobials
- depends on mode of action and ability to be transported into the cell
- have different modes of action and affect different aspects of bacterial cell metabolism
- can target cell wall synthesis, DNA and RNA synthesis, protein synthesis, and vitamin synthesis
- permeability also has effect on ability-less permeable bacteria restrict entry of antimicrobials into cell
Kirby-Bauer Method
- used to determine sensitivity or resistance of bacterium to an antimicrobial
- standardized test procedure
- streak plate uniformly
- place paper discs with specific concentrations of an antimicrobial or antibiotic deposited on agar surface forming a concentration gradient
- zone of inhibition forms if drug is effective
- measure zone and compare to chart to find if antimicrobial was resistant, sensitive, or indifferent.
- inoculated with cotton swab from broth culture
- incubate 16-18 hours then measure
- measure all the way across from one edge of zone to other
Mueller-Hinton II Agar
- recommended for Kirby-Bauer Method
- pH 7.2-7.4
- uniform thickness of 4 mm
- for certain fastidious microorganisms 5% defibrinated sheeps blood is added to medium
What factors influence the size of the zone of inhibition for an antibiotic?
- size of drug
- how well it diffuses out into the medium
- the resistance of the microorganism
Antiseptics
- substances that inhibit microbial growth or kill microorganisms and are gentle enough to be applied to living tissue
- don’t destroy endospores
Disinfectants
- chemical agents that are applied to inanimate objects
- more harsh than antiseptics and damaging to living tissue
Sterilants or Sporcides
- destroy all microbial life, including endospores
- type of disinfectant
Sanitizers
-reduce microbial numbers to a safe level but do not completely eliminate all microbes
Bacteriostatic
-inhibits growth of bacterial cells but does not kill them
Bacteriocidal
-agents that kill bacterial cells
Evaluation of Antiseptics
- compare antiseptics against each other
- streak plate covering completely
- soak paper discs half in antiseptic
- place on dish
- incubate 24-48 hours
- measure zones of inhibition and compare to each other
- measure from edge of disc to edge of zone
UV Light
- nonionizing short wavelength radiation that falls between 4 nm and 400 nm in visible spectrum
- the shorter the wavelength, the more damaging to the cell
- so UV light is very germicidal than visible light and infrared radiation
- kills most bacteria and is used in sterilization
- most germicidal at 260 nm because this is the wavelength at which DNA maximally absorbs UV light and this causes pyrimidine dimers
- deforms DNA so polymerase can’t read past it
SOS System
- enzymatically removes dimers and inserts new pyrimidine molecules
- can move beyond point where dimers have formed in molecule
- unable to fix all the massive amounts of dimers formed via UV light and makes errors inserting wrong bases eventually resulting in cell death
Killing properties of UV light factors
- time of exposure
- presence of materials that will block radiation from reaching cells
- presence of endospores-protected by small acid soluble proteins that bind to DNA and alter conformation, thereby protecting it from photochemical damage and unique spore photo-product is generated by UV light in endospores that functions in enzymatic repair of damaged DNA during endospore germination
Staphylococcus
- means bunch of grapes
- gram positive, spherical that divide into more than one plane to form irregular clusters of cells
- non-motile, non-spore forming and able to grow in high salt concentrations
- most are facultative anaerobes
S. aureus
- 20-30% of population carries this
- responsible for many serious infections (MRSA)
- most clinically significant staphylococcal pathogen
- can cause skin infections, wound infections, bone tissue infections, scalded skin syndrome, TSS and food poisoning
Virulence Factors of S. aureus
- coagulase positive-may cause clot to form around staphylococcal infection thus protecting it from host defenses
- DNase
- produces alpha toxin that causes a wide clear zone of beta hemolysis on blood agar but also damages leukocytes, heart muscle, and renal tissue
- pigment that has antioxidant properties which prevent reactive oxygen produced by the host immune system from killing the bacteria
- ferments mannitol to produce acid
Mannitol Salt Agar
- production of acid lowers the pH of the medium, causing the phenol red indicator to turn from red to yellow
- differential because of mannitol fermentors vs. non fermenters
- selective because of increase salt and selects for s. aureus because it survives in high salt
Coagulase Negative Staphylococci
- CNS
- don’t produce coagulase or DNase or alpha toxin
- all people have this on their skin
- unpigmented and appear opaque when grown on blood agar and staphylococcus 110 plates
What are health-care-acquired infections?
-infections that patients develop during the course of receiving healthcare treatment
Streptococci
- most isolates occur in chains rather than in clusters
- lack catalase
- gram-positive
- facultative anaerobes
- generally non-motile
- very similar to enterococci
Beta-hemolysis
- complete lysis of red blood cells in the blood agar
- clear zone surrounding colonies
Alpha-hemolysis
- partial breakdown of hemoglobin inside red blood cells
- produces a greenish discoloration around colonies
Gamma-hemolysis
-have no effect on red blood cells in blood agar plate