General Bacteriology Flashcards
What are commensals?
Microorganisms living on or within humans that do not harm the host under normal circumstances and may even be beneficial
How can commensals be beneficial?
Inhibiting growth of pathogens
Aiding in digestion
Name normal skin flora
Staph epidermidis
Name normal nasal flora
Staph epidermidis
Name normal oropharyngeal flora
Viridans group strep
Name normal flora of dental plaques
Strep mutans
Name normal gut flora
E coli
Bacteroides
Name normal vaginal flora
Lactobacillus acidophilus
Name normal lung flora
Neisseria catarrhalis
Alpha hemolytic strep
Staph
Non-pathogenic corynebacteria
Candida albicans
What are transient flora and give examples
Microorganisms that are temporarily present
E coli or s aureus on the hands
How can pathogens be differentiated?
Facultative versus obligate pathogens
What are facultative pathogens?
Microorganisms capable of survival outside of a host
Give examples of facultative pathogens
E coli
Vibrio cholera
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Give examples of opportunistic pathogens
Oral candida
PJP
CMV
Cryptococcus
Toxoplasma encephalitis
What are obligate pathogens?
Microorganisms that can only replicate inside the cells of a host and therefore must infect a host to survive
Give examples of obligate pathogens
Salmonella
T pallidum
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Which fatty acid can be found in the cell walls of acid fast bacteria?
Mycolic acid
Which enzyme cross links peptide side chains?
Transpeptidase
What is peptidoglycan?
A polymer chain of the sugars, n-acteyl-muramic acid and n-acetyl-glucosamine, and amino acids
What does lipoteichoic acid stimulate the release of?
TNF-alpha
IL-1
IL-6
Which endotoxin does the outer membrane of gram negative bacteria contain?
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
What is LPS composed of?
Lipid A
Core polysaccharide
O antigen
Which component of LPS is antigenic?
Lipid A
What does lipid A stimulate the release of?
TNF-alpha
IL1
IL6
Which layer are penicillin binding proteins found in?
Cytoplasmic membrane
The cytoplasmic membrane is __________ (hydrophobic/hydrophilic)?
Hydrophobic
The bacterial capsule is __________ (hydrophobic/hydrophilic)?
Hydrophilic
Which polypeptide component does bacillus anthracis contain in its bacterial capsule?
Poly-D-glutamate
What does the bacterial capsule protect against?
Phagocytosis
Complement mediated lysis
What is a glycocalyx?
A glycoprotein-polysaccharide layer that covers the cell membrane
What is the function of the glycocalyx?
Adhesion of bacteria to cell and foreign surfaces
What does the periplasm contain?
Beta lactamase
Which bacteria are spore formers?
Gram positive
What does the coating later of endospores contain?
Keratin
Dipicolinic acid
Peptidoglycan
DNA
What do endospores protect against?
Dehydration
Temperature damage
Chemical damage
Give reasons for poor gram staining of atypical bacteria
Lack of cell wall
Atypical cell wall composition
Very thin cell wall
Intracellular bacteria
Give examples of bacteria lacking a cell wall
Mycoplasma
Ureaplasma
Give an example of a bacteria with high lipid percentage in its cell wall
Mycobacteria
Give an example of a bacteria lacking peptidoglycan in its cell wall?
Chlamydia
Give an example of a bacteria lacking LPS in its cell wall
Treponema
Give an example of a bacteria with a very thin cell wall
Leptospira
Name the two types of acid fast staining
Ziehl Neelsen (red)
Auramine rhodamine (yellow-red)
Which element of acid fast bacteria is stained?
Mycolic acid in the cell wall
Differentiate between obligate and facultative intracellular bacteria
Obligate - cannot produce ATP outside of host cell
Facultative - can produce ATP outside of host cell
Give examples of obligate intracellular bacteria
Rickettsia
Chlamydia
Coxiella
Give examples of facultative intracellular bacteria
Mycobacterium
Salmonella
Neisseria
Listeria
Francisella
Legionella
Yersinia
Brucella
Define obligate anaerobes
Grows only in absence of oxygen
Why are obligate anaerobes susceptible to oxidative damage
Lack of enzymes that can detoxify oxygen radicals
Why do obligate anaerobes often produce a foul smell?
Short chain fatty acids and gases (CO2 and H2)
Define facultative anaerobes
Can use oxygen for ATP generation but may switch to anaerobic metabolism when necessary
Give examples of obligate anaerobes
Foul Anaerobes Can’t Breathe
Fusobacterium
Actinomyces israelii
Clostridium
Bacteroides
Give examples of aerobic bacteria
Pseudo aeruginosa
Myco tuberculosis
Bordetella pertussis
Nocardia
Why is alpha hemolysis green?
Hemoglobin partially oxidized by hydrogen peroxide to methemoglobin which contains biliverdin
Give examples of alpha hemolytic bacteria
S pneumo
S viridans
Give examples of beta hemolytic bacteria
S aureus
S pyogenes
S agalactiae
Which bacteria in the Lancefield grouping falls under Group A?
S pyogenes
Which bacteria in the Lancefield grouping falls under Group B?
S agalactiae
Which bacteria in the Lancefield grouping falls under Group C?
S equisimilis
S equi
S zooepidemicus
S dysgalactiae
Which bacteria in the Lancefield grouping falls under Group D?
Enterococci
S bovis
Which bacteria in the Lancefield grouping falls under Group E?
S milleri
S mutans
Which bacteria in the Lancefield grouping falls under Group F?
S anginosus
Which bacteria in the Lancefield grouping falls under Group G?
S canis
S dysgalactiae
Which bacteria in the Lancefield grouping falls under Group H?
S sanguinis
Which bacteria in the Lancefield grouping falls under Group L?
S dysgalactiae
Which bacteria in the Lancefield grouping falls under Group N?
Lactococcus lactis
Which bacteria in the Lancefield grouping falls under Group R & S?
Streptococcus suis
Which is the only bacteria which exhibits growth in bile esculin agar as well as 6.5% NaCl?
Group D streptococci
Discuss the principles of the indole test
Indole test determines the ability of a microorganism to produce indole from the breakdown of tryptophan. Tryptophan is hydrolyzed by tryptophanase to produce indole, pyruvate or ammonium ion. Indole reacts with Kovac’s agent under acidic conditions to produce a red dye
Explain Kovac’s agent
Contains para-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde and isoamyl alcohol
Para-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde reacts with indole to produce rosindole red dye
Isoamyl alcohol forms a complex with the dye causing it to precipitate
What colour does indole positive turn?
Pink
What colour does indole negative stay?
Yellow
What is an antibiogram?
Microbiological test that assesses the susceptibility of pathogen to various antibiotics
What is MIC?
Lowest concentration of antimicrobial that inhibits the growth of a specific microorganism isolate
What is generation time?
Time required by bacteria to double in number in a culture
What does generation time depend on?
Species of bacterium
Type of culture medium
Specify types of culture media
Selective media
Indicator media
What does Thayer-Martin agar contain?
Vancomycin (inhibits gram +)
Trimethoprim (inhibits gram -)
Colisitin (inhibits gram -)
Nystatin (inhibits fungi)
Which pathogen is isolated using Thayer-Martin agar?
Neisseria spp
Describe the colony morphology of neisseria gonorrhoea
Small size
Define margins
Mucoid appearance
Colourless/grayish-white colonies
Smooth consistency
Describe the colony morphology of neisseria meningitidis
Medium to large
Mucoid appearance
Blue-gray colour
What does MacConkey agar contain?
Lactose
Bile salts
Sodium chloride
pH indicator
What does MacConkey agar isolate?
Lactose fermenters
Describe the colony morphology of lactose fermenters
Pink colonies (fermentation to hydrogen sulphide which is acidic)
Which pathogen is isolated on Bordet-Gengou agar?
Bordetella pertussis
What does Bordet-Gengou agar contain?
Potato extract
Sheep blood
Glycerol
Describe the colony morphology of bordetella pertussis on Bordet-Gengou agar
Small
Round
Shiny
Mercury-silver appearance
Which pathogen is isolated on Regan-Lowe medium?
Bordetella pertussis
What does Regan-Lowe medium contain?
Blood
Charcoal
Antibiotics
Describe the colony morphology of bordetella pertussis on Regan-Lowe medium
Small
Glistening
Greyish-white
Which pathogen is isolated on chocolate agar?
Haemophilus influenza and fastidious organisms
What does chocolate agar contain?
X factor (haematin)
V factor (NAD+)
What is NAD?
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
Describe the colony morphology of haemophilus influenzae on chocolate agar
Small
Pale-grayish
Mucoid
Coccobacillary shape