GI Microbiology Flashcards
What are the key roles of epidemiology in gastrointestinal infections?
Epidemiology plays a role in the prevention and development of gastrointestinal tract infections caused by pathogenic bacteria.
Define ‘microbiome’.
The normal microbial flora residing in the gastrointestinal tract.
What is the significance of Bacteroides fragilis?
An anaerobe located in the colon, it is a common cause of intra-abdominal infections after surgery or trauma.
What type of bacteria is Clostridium difficile?
An anaerobic, spore-forming, toxigenic gram-positive bacillus.
What condition is associated with Clostridium difficile?
Antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colitis.
What does the presence of red or purple colonies on MacConkey agar indicate?
Lactose fermentation.
What type of DNA can bacteria exchange via conjugation?
Plasmid DNA.
What is a localized epidemic?
A disease outbreak affecting a small group of people within a confined area.
What is a nationwide epidemic?
A disease outbreak affecting a sizeable number of people in several different cities or regions of a country.
What is the definition of a pandemic?
An outbreak affecting several different countries worldwide within a relatively short span of time.
What does ‘endemic’ mean?
When an infectious agent becomes well established within a community with expected incidence/prevalence.
List classic agents of diarrhea.
- E. coli (many types)
- Salmonella (many types)
- Cholera
- Shigella
- Staphylococcus aureus
What is Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) known for?
Causing serious infantile diarrhea, particularly in the developing world.
What are the toxins produced by Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC)?
Labile toxin (LT) and stable toxin (ST).
What is a unique feature of Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC)?
It causes dysentery similar to Shigella and invades intestinal mucosal cells.
What serious condition is caused by Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC)?
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
What is the most common strain of Enterohemorrhagic E. coli?
Serotype H7:0157.
What caused the E. coli 0104:H4 epidemic?
Contaminated sprouts derived from fecally contaminated fenugreek seeds.
What was unusual about the E. coli 0104:H4 epidemic?
Atypical age range and long incubation period.
Fill in the blank: The major pathogenic E. coli bacteria are known as _______.
[EPEC, ETEC, EIEC, EHEC, EAEC]
True or False: ETEC is considered a serious condition.
False.
What does it mean for an organism to stain gram negative?
The bacteria has a thin peptidoglycan wall
Gram-negative bacteria have a thinner peptidoglycan layer compared to gram-positive bacteria, which allows them to take up the red counterstain during the Gram staining process.
List some examples of pathogenic Gram-negative bacilli associated with gastrointestinal infections.
- Shigella
- Salmonella (S. enterica serovar typhi, S. enterica serovar paratyphi, non-typhoidal strains)
- Yersinia enterocolitica
- Campylobacter jejuni
- Helicobacter pylori
- Vibrio (V. cholerae, V. parahemolyticus, V. vulnificus)
These bacteria are known to cause various gastrointestinal diseases and infections.
What is the mechanism of infectivity for Shigella?
Shigella invades the M cells of peyer’s patches and evades phagocytosis
Shigella uses the host’s actin cytoskeleton to move from cell to cell, facilitating its spread.