Gram Positive Rods Flashcards
How could you identiy a culture of Bacillus anthracis?
mobility?
hemolysis?
growth requirement?
Spore formation?
Capsule?
- Gram positive rods
- non-motlie
- gamma- hemolytic (medusa-head colonies)– strongly adherent
- non-fastidious large
- form spores 2-3 in culture, not in clinical situation
- Bicarbonate Agar is used to induce capsule production
What is the source of B. anthracis infection?
What are the primary virulence factors?
primary a disease of grazing herbivores– infection by contact with infected animals/products (human to human transmission is not documented)
2 large plasmids accound to all the birulence– produce binary exotoxins pXO2 (protective toxin, lethal toxin, edema toxin) and pXO1
Explain the virulence process of B. anthracis
- PA binds to the ANTXR receptor, and a piece is cleaved off
- then the process PA oligomarizes and form a receptor
- LF and EF can bind with equal affinity,
- once they are both bound, they are internalized
- then there is acidification of this endosome, the LF, and EF are sent to cytoplasm
- EF raises cAMP (the cell swells)
- LF degrades MAPKK, cell will die
What disease is shown in the image provided?
Characterized by vesicles with no puss, necrosis, eschar formation and edema (may be massive), painful lymphadenopathy; hematogenous spread with resultant toxemia can occur
What bacteria is responsible for this disease?
Cutaneous anthrax
B. anthracis
What disease is charactered by the following symptoms and images?
begins with viral infection URT (fever, cough, myalgia)
septic shock and toxemia
hemorrhagic meningitis and lung compression
Respiratory distress due to blocked lymphatic drainage leading to pulmonary edema
What is the likely bacterial cause?
Inhalation anthrax (Woolsorter’s disease)
B. anthracis
Will see widening of mediastium (see in x-ray) and hemorrhagic meningitis
What disease is characterized by the following symptoms?
Oropharyngeal and or abdominal mucosal ulcer followed by lymphadenopathy and edema
acute inflammation, severe GI difficulty, bloody vomit/diarrhea
What is the likely bacterial cause?
Intestinal anthrax
B. antracis
Hematogenous spread & toxemia can occur, rare, but 100% lethal
Where would you obtain a culture of B. antracis from the following diseases? What other steps should be taken?
- Cutaneous
- Gastrointestinal
- Inhalation
- Cutaneous
- vesicular stage (vesicular fluid) or eschar material
- gastrointestinal
- blood, stool, rectal swab
- inhalation
- blood, sputum, stool
Quick EIA for protective antigen or PCR for bacterial presence
Contact state public health lab if suspected
How could you identify a cuture of Bacillus cereus?
growth requirement?
oxygen requirement?
gram staining?
hemolysis?
capsule?
motility?
lysis by gamma phage?
Where are they found?
- non-fastidious
- facultative
- large gram positive rods
- beta-hemolytic
- no capsule
- motility (+)
- no lysis by gamma phage
Found
- Cells/spores- everywhere in the environment
- acquied from contaminated food (dairy, bakery, meat, rice, etc.)
- may be acquired fro penetrating injuries (eg. to eye)
What are the two types of virulent toxins produced by B. cereus?
- 1 emetic toxin (ETE) = emetic disease
- heat stable
- within an hour
- 3 enterotoxins (HBL, Nhe, EntK) = diarrheal disease
- heat sensitive (spores still there)
- slow onset
What genus includes all gram positive anaerobic spore formers?
Where do they naturally colonize?
Clostridium
Part of the colonic normal flora
How many toxins are produced by C. perfringens?
Why are they not produced all the time?
12 different toxins, but does not produces them during normal growth b/c require specific signals
The signals come from necrotic tissues
What disease is common after surgery/trauma?
The damage to the arties allows for anaerobic conditions
does not involve the muscle
What bacteria is likely the cause of this disease?
Clostridial Cellulitis
C. perfringens
What disease is characterized by the following symptoms?
What bacteria is the likely cause of this disease?
Common in agricultural regions, frequently associated with gun-shots and deep knife wounds
very fast progression
sudden onset excruciating pain and gas bubbles
fast developing, foul smelling wound, crepitus also present
Extensive hemolysis, shock, renal failure
bacteria present in infected tissues; inflammatory cells-absent
Clostridial Myonecrosis (Gas Gangrene)
C. perfringens
What disease is characterize by diarrhea in 8-22 hrs after eating slow cooling or insufficintly reheated food?
Food poinsoning from C. perfringens
happens when large number of bugs are ingested
What disease is characterized by necrotic destruction of jejunum and or ileum particulary after eating sweet potaotes?
Peritonitis, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, shock
What bacteria is the likely cause?
Necrotizing enteritis (ileum) & enteritis necroticans (jejunum)
Sweet potatoes conatins trypsin inhibitor
C. perfringens (produced by strains producing alpha and beta toxins)
How could you identify a culture of C. perfringens?
motility?
gram staining?
other cells present in sample?
naglar test?
- non-motile
- box-car gram positive rod
- no leukocytes in clinical sample (good indicator)
- positive naglar reaction
b/c they are native to GI, may find some in a blood sample, so be careful to correlate lab measures with symptoms to confirm diagnosis
Explain the virulence of C. tetani
tetanospasmin (tetanus toxin)
- plasmid encoded, responsible for tetnus symptoms
- blocks release of GABA and glycine (inhibits inhibitory neurons)
- GABA inhibits motor neurons and causes muscle spasms
What disease is characted by the following symptoms
excessive crying, trismus, tetanic spasms, opisthotonus in infants
What bacteria is responsible for the infection?
What is often the cause of the disease?
Neonatal tetanus (tetnus neonatorum)
C. tetani
Mostly in developing countries; infection usually through umbilical stumb; dirty tools to sever cord & cloths, soil or dung to stump