Finding the right treatment to combat bacterial infection L10 Flashcards
What are the 3 factors taken into account to combat bacterial infection
- diagnosis
- correct treatment
- finding the source
how are the correct tests to diagnose infection determined
Case history and details
define serology
relies on diagnostic identification of antibodies in the serum eg. latex agglutination tests (only the relevant antigens will be bound by the specific antibody)
define Serotyping
determines the subtype of organism
- Salmonella has >2,500 serotypes (but less than 5% infect humans).
- Knowing which serotype is present allows effective treatment.
- Serotypes often correlate with antibiotic resistance patterns.
what are 3 different diagnosis methods
- CFU’s
- latex agglutination
- biochemical assays
- molecular diagnosis
describe CFU’s
culture forming units
- take sample e.g urine
- carry out serial dilution and grow selective medium that only allows certain bacteria to grow
- quantify and qualify
what are advantages and disadvantages of CFUS
AD:
- in a mixed culture, you can extract infectious pathogen
- machines can quantify quickly
- taken straight from sample such urine
DIS:
- overgrowth of flora may make plate difficult to see
describe latex agglutination
latex beads have antibodies on them
- mix sample with the beads
- if you have antigens comp to the antibodies on the beads, agglutination will occur
- clump together to give positive result
what are disadvantages and advantages of latex agglutination
AD:
- rapid
DIS:
- only use liquid samples (serum, urine, blood)
- faeces wont work this
describe biochemical assays
sample put in different wells with different environments to test its metabolic activity and nutritional requirements
- enzymes
- sugars
exploits the needs of bacteria to identify them
- rapid and accurate
- top wells are control, bottom are
what are the standard enzymes used in biochemical assays
Oxidases - Pseudomonas spp.: +, E. coli: -
Catalase - Gram +ve bacteria e.g. Listeria spp.
Urease - Helicobacter pylori
what types of molecular diagnosis are there
- detection of DNA sequences
Gene / sequence specific = detection + ID
- use PCR to detect specific sequence in bacteria and use gel electrolysis to identify it
- Add fluorescent DNA intercalating agent to the finished reaction or gel OR other fluorescent DNA binding dyes
Can add dyes to a PCR reaction without inhibiting it: detect PCR product in ‘REAL-TIME
describe real time PCR
as PCR reaction happens, incorporate florescent dye
- the more positive DNA sequence we have, more fluorescence detected
- reduces time to 1 hour
give 2 successes of real time PCR
- Neisseria meningitidis - Meningitis
- normally used CFU method
- RT-PCR gave 56% positive diagnosis successful
- Very important for rapid, correct treatment - Bordetella pertussis - Whooping Cough
- Very slow culture growth: 3 - 12 days incubation
- RT-PCR diagnoses within hours
- Important for correct treatment and prophylaxis of contacts
what are advantages and negatives of molecular diagonsis methods
AD:
- Bacterial genomes are unique
- Genetic material can be extracted from infected specimens
- DNA is easy to detect and even quantify
- Extremely sensitive 1-10 CFU / reaction
DIS:
- Technology is still being developed
- Some tests require the bacteria to be isolated first
- Some tests are TOO sensitive
- Standardisation from lab to lab can be problematic