Gram Positive and Gram negative Cocci Flashcards
What are the three genera of gram positive cocci?
Staphylococcus
Streptococcus
Enterococcus
Virulence factors. Examples?
Factors that enable an organism to produce disease
Examples: Adhesins/cell surface factors
Secreted enzymes/toxins
Facultative anaerobes
Bacteria that can produce ATP aerobically when oxygen is present but can switch to fermentation when oxygen is absent.
Staphylococci
Cells in clusters
Facultative anaerobes
Hardy bacteria-persist on fomites
Catalase positive
How do you distinguish staphylococci from streptococci?
Staphylococci produce catalase
Which staph is catalase positive? catalase negative?
Catalase positive: S. aureus
Catalase negative: S. epidermidis, S. saprophyticus
Staphylococcus aureus
Catalase positive
Golden-yellow colonies
Coagulase positive (eco-enzyme that activates blood clotting factors)
Ferments mannitol (detected on mannitol salt sugar)
S. aureus cell surface virulence factors
Capsule - antiphagocytic polysaccharide “microcapsule”
Protein A - anti-opsonin effect by binding Fc region of antibodies
Adhesins - facilitate attachment to host cells/connective tissue
S. aureus cytolytic exotoxins
They target mammalian cell membranes
Hemolysins: lyse erythrocytes
PVL (Panton-Valentine leukocidin): lyse PMNs
S. aureus invasins
Enzymes that facilitate penetration through extracellular tissue
S. aureus superantigen exotoxins
Toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST-1)
Enterotoxins (food poisoning)
Exfoliatin (Scalded skin syndrome)
What is the effect of super antigen toxins?
They stimulate T lymphocytes; produce pathology by overproduction of cytokines. They bind TCR to MHC in a relatively non-specific way.
Staphylococcal infections cause skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs)
1) Furuncles: small pus-filled local infections
2) Carbuncles: Larger skin abscesses
3) Impetigo: Spreading, crusting skin infection
4) Cellulitis: Deep skin infection
S. aureus tissue infections
1) Osteomyelitis
2) Septic joint/septic arthritis
3) Pneumonia: often follows viral influenza infections
4) Acute endocarditis
5) Bacteremia and Septicemia
What is scalded skin syndrome?
Exfoliatin toxin induced bright red flush, blisters (bullae) causing bullous impetigo, then desquamation of the epidermis.
Treatment options for S. aureus?
- Penicillinase resistant penicillins such as Oxacillin
- Clindamycin
- If MRSA, vancomycin is SOC antibiotic
Two gram negative staphylococcus
S. epidermidis and S. saprophyticus
Virulence of S. epidermidis
1) Polysaccharide capsule adheres to prosthetic devices
2) Highly resistant to antibiotics
Clinical manifestation of S. epidermidis
Nosocomial infections:
1) Prosthetic joints and heart valves
2) IV lines
3) UTIs
Treatment options for S. epidermidis
Vancomycin
Diagnostics for S. epidermidis
1) Gram positive cocci
2) Catalase positive
3) Coagulase negative
How is S. saprophyticus distinguished from other CoNS and S. aureus?
Resistance to Novobiocin
Clinical manifestation of S. Saprophyticus
UTIs and cystitis in women
Treatment options for S. Saprophyticus
Penicillin G
Diagnostics for S. Saprophyticus
1) Gram positive
2) Catalase positive
3) Coagulase negative
4) Novobiocin resistant
Streptococcus
Gram positive spherical/ovoid cocci arranged in long chains Catalase negative Fastidious and require enriched media Sensitive to drying and heat Aerotolerant anaerobes
How do you classify different streptococcus?
1) hemolysis pattern on blood agar
2) cell wall antigen