Gram Negative Bacteria Flashcards
How are samples of Bordetella pertussis collected and grown?
Collected from nasopharynx
Grown on Bordet-Gengou medium or charcoal-containing medium
How is Klebsiella pneumoniae infection diagnosed?
Culture specimen from infection on routine lab media
- Plump, gram (-) rods
- Hypermucoviscous strains overproduce capsule and have a hypermucoid appearance
On MacConkey agar
- Turns the agar pink (can ferment lactose)
What are the determinants of pathogenicity of EPEC?
Enteropathogenic E. coli
- Bundle-forming pili
- Responsible for initial attachment to intestinal epithelium
- Type III secretion system
- Injects Tir into cell membrane
- Acts as a receptor for intimin (an adhesin)
Where is the environmental reservoir for Yersinia pestis?
What is the vector for human transmission?
Reservoir = rodents (prarie dogs in USA, rats historically)
Vector = fleas
Yersinia pestis is [Gram stain, metabolism, shape, distinctive morphology]
Yersinia pestis is a gram negative, facultatively anaerobic, bacillus.
It is encapsulated and has a bipolar appearance on a gram stain (“closed safety pin)
How is a Yersinia pestis infection diagnosed?
Blood cultures; Yersinia grows on normal lab media
If bubonic: culture bubo samples
If pneumonic: culture sputum samples
Giesma stain: Yersinia pestis has a bipolar appearance, like a closed safety pin
Which E. coli determinant of pathogenicity is associated with upper UTI/kidney infection?
P pili
This is a picture of stomach epithellium:
What bacteria are also present?
What is allowing this bacteria to live in the acidic environment of the stomach?

Helicobacter pylori
Urease positive = cleaves ammonium hydroxide from urea. This creates a less acidic microenvironment in the mucus overlying the epithelium in which H. pylori grows, reproduces, and invades the stomach epithelium.
Why are patients with liver disease more sucesptible to life-threatening bacteremia due to Vibrio vulnificus infection?
Liver disease = iron overload
The bacteria grow really well when there is a lot of iron around
List the determinants of pathogenicity of Legionella pneumophilia
- Infects macrophages
- Dot - “Defect of Organelle Trafficking” genetic locus
- Type IV secretion system
- Phospholipase C
Why do patients with multiple UTIs often develop kidney stones?
UTIs caused by Proteus are associated with “struvite” kidney stones
- Proteus* is urease positive;
- Urease -> splits urea into ammonium hydroxide -> raises pH -> Kidney stone formation
How do humans become infected with Francisella tularensis?
Contact with rabbits, squirrels, muskrats, beavers, and deeper through tiny breaks in skin, exposure of mucous membranes, ingestion, or inhalation (also via ticks)
What are the determinants of pathogenicity of Yersinia pestis?
- Adhesins Ail
- Chromosomally encoded adhesin
- Type III secretion system
- Secretes YOPS
- YOPS (effector proteins)
- Intoxicate host
- Disable macrophages and neutrophils
- Inhibition of phagocytosis and cytokind production
- Allows bacteria to multiply to large numbers very quickly
- Capsule: Fra1 (aka F1)
- Antiphagocytic
- Pla: Plasminogen activator
- Cleaves fibrin to prevent clot formation
- Allows for dissemination in the body
What is Dot?
Which bacteria posesses it?
Why is it important?
Dot stands for “defect of organelle trafficking”
It is a genetic locus posessed by Legionella pneumophilia
It carries the genes necessary to block phagosome/lysosome fusion, promote ribosome recruitment, and express a Type IV Secretion system
What is the clinical presentation of brucellosis?
Fever*, chills, malaise, and drenching sweats
Infection can be chronic and last for weeks or months
(Fever may be undulant; rise and fall)
What antibiotics is Klebsiella pneumoniae resistant to?
All encode SHV Beta-lactamase on chromosome
- Resistant to ampicillin, amoxicillin
Some encode Extended-spectrum beta-lacatamase (ESBL)
- Resistant to all beta-lactams except carbapenem
Some encode Klebsiella pneumonia carbapenemase (KPC) or New Delhi Metalocarbapenemase (NDMC)
- Resistant to almost all beta-lactams inclucding carbapenem
Which bacteria often causes skin infections in burn patients?
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Escherichia coli are… [Gram stain, metabolism, shape distinctive morphology]
Escherichia coli are gram negative, facultative aneroibic bacilli that are typically part of the normal flora of the human colon.
They are catalase (+) and ferment lactose
What are the determinants of pathogenicity of EHEC?
- Type III Secretion Systems
- Injects toxin into host cell
- Shiga-like toxin
- Inhibits 60s unit of the human ribosome
- Fimbriae
- Forms attachment and effacement lesions
What is tracheal cytotoxin of Bordetella pertussis?
Peptidoglycan fragment that inhibits/kills ciliated cells and is pro-inflammatory
What was the old vaccination strategy for pertussis?
Why was it discontinued?
Whole-cell killed vaccine combined with toxoid vaccines against tetanus and diphtheria
Poor long-term efficacy of pertussis component; seizures and hyporesponsive episodes; frequent side effects in kids
Which Y. pestis infection is most associated with gastroenteritis?
Primary septicemic plague
How is a Legionella pneumophilia infection diagnosed?
- Visualize with dieterle silver stain (Poorly visualized with gram stain)
- Grows on BYCE agar (but grows slowly)
- Direct fluorescent antibody
- Urinary antigen test
- Only detects serogroup 1
What is exotoxin A?
Which bacteria secrets it?
Exotoxin A is secreted by Pseudomonas aeruginosa
It ADP-ribosylates EF-2 of the host ribosome. This inhibits protein synthesis and leads to cell death
(Functions similarly to diphtheria toxin)










