I&I Flashcards
Name the 4 groups into which microbes can be classified
Viruses
Bacteria
Fungi
Parasites
Name the 2 types of parasite
Protozoa and helminths
Name 5 properties of viruses
1) They have a DNA or RNA core within a protein capsid made of capsomeres.
2) They have a helical, cubic or more complex arrangement
3) They have no cytoplasm
4) They may have an envelope derived from the host cell
5) They have membrane-bound attachment proteins
What is meant by the phrase ‘viruses are obligate intracellular organisms’?
Viruses must invade cells in order to replicate inside the cell
Name 3 viral causes of upper respiratory tract infection
Rhinovirus, influenza and RSV
Name 2 viral causes of gastroenteritis
Norovirus (SRSV) and adenovirus
Name 2 viral causes of rashes
Varicella zoster virus and measles
Name the virus responsible for meningitis
Enterovirus
What’s a healthcare associated infection?
An infection commonly acquired in hospital
Name 10 properties of bacteria
1) Prokaryotic cells
2) Haploid DNA
3) No nucleus
4) Usually have a rigid cell wall outside the cytoplasmic membrane
5) Circular DNA
6) No histones
7) No introns
8) No mitochondria
9) No membrane-bound organelles
10) Reproduce by binary fission
What’s the difference between strict aerobes and facultative aerobes?
Strict aerobes can only grow in free oxygen. Facultative aerobes can also grow in the absence of oxygen
What are the 2 main morphologies of bacteria?
Cocci (spherical) and rods/ bacilli (cylindrical)
Describe gram stain and how it divides bacteria
Gram positive bacteria stains blue. Gram negative bacteria stains red
What are the 2 factors that determine whether bacteria is gram positive or gram negative, and which is which?
The thickness of the peptidoglycan layer, and the presence or absence of an outer lipid membrane. Gram positive bacteria have a thick peptidoglycan layer and have no outer lipid membrane. Gram negative bacteria have a thin peptidoglycan layer and have an outer lipid membrane.
What bacteria commonly causes a UTI?
Escherichia coli
What bacteria commonly causes pharyngitis?
Streptococcus pyogenes
What bacteria commonly causes skin and soft tissue infection?
Streptococcus aureus
What bacteria is commonly responsible for causing post-operative wound infection?
Staphylococcus aureus
What bacteria is commonly responsible for causing ventilator-associated pneumonia?
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Name 6 properties of fungi
- Eukaryotic
- Haploid or diploid DNA
- Mono- or polynucleate
- Have a rigid chitinous wall outside the cytoplasm
- May be multicellular or single cell or filamentous form.
- May be dimorphous
How do teleomorphous fungi reproduce?
Sexually
How do anamorphous fungi reproduce?
Asexually
Name 5 properties of parasites
- Single celled
- Single or multiple nuclei
- Haploid DNA
- Morphology varies throughout their life cycle
- May have flagella
What are helminths?
Helminths are multicellular parasitic worms which can be microscopic or visible to the naked eye. A lot of helminths don’t cause harm to humans.
What are protozoic parasites?
Single-celled eukaryotes which feed on organic material
Name the 4 components of blood
Plasma fluid, red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets
What are the most common type of RBC?
Erythrocytes
Describe the structure of RBCs
RBCs are biconcave discs which do not contain DNA, RNA, mitochondria or a nucleus
What is anaemia?
A condition in which there is a deficiency of red blood cells or of haemoglobin in the blood, leading to weariness and pallor
What are the 2 most common types of WBC?
Neutrophils and lymphocytes
Why are WBCs colourless?
They do not contain any haemoglobin and so have none of the Fe2+ ions that make RBCs red
What’s another name for a white blood cell?
A leukocyte
Name 2 properties of neutrophils
Neutrophils are polymorphonuclear, as they have irregular, multi-lobed nuclei
Neutrophils are granulocytes because they have prominent cytoplasmic granules
What’s the function of neutrophils?
Neutrophils are the first line of defence against pathogens. They phagocytose and kill bacteria and fungi
What’s the function of lymphocytes?
Lymphocytes are the main mediators of adaptive immunity. They produce antibodies and kill virus-infected cells.
What are the 2 types of mononuclear cells
Monocytes and lymphocytes
What are 2 properties of mononuclear cells?
They have large, regular nuclei and lack granules
What’s the function of monocytes?
Monocytes phagocytose dead cells and pathogens. They present antigens to T cells. Eventually, they become tissue macrophages which remove dead cell debris and attack microorganisms
What’s another name for platelets?
Thrombocytes
How are platelets formed?
Platelets form when cytoplasmic fragments of megakaryocytes (very large cells in bone marrow) pinch off into the circulation as they age
Name 3 properties of platelets
- No nucleus
- Membrane-bound
- Contain granules
What’s the function of platelets?
Platelets are responsible for causing blood clots (primary haemostasis) to form a platelet plug and stop bleeding
Where are mature blood cells produced?
Mature blood cells are produced from stem cells in the bone marrow
What are the components of blood plasma?
Water, salts, proteins (such as albumin), clotting factors, metabolites, carbohydrates, ions and lipids
What cations does plasma contain?
Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and H+
What anions are present in plasma?
Cl-, PO4 3-, SO4 2-
What is serum?
Serum is the fluid left after blood clotting
What’s the most abundant protein in plasma?
Albumin (>90% of plasma protein)
What’s the difference between plasma and serum?
Plasma contains the clotting agent fibrinogen, while serum does not
How is blood important to transport?
Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to tissues and moves CO2 and other waste products. Blood also carries hormones from their source to their sites of action
How many polypeptide chains is haemoglobin made of?
2 alpha globin chains and 2 beta globin chains. All 4 carry a ham molecule
How does oxygen associate with haemoglobin?
Oxygen binds reversibly to the iron atom in each haem molecule via a coordinate bond
What does pulse oximetry measure?
Pulse oximetry measures the colour of someone’s haemoglobin and determines if the patient is hypoxic
How many Hb molecules are there in each RBC?
About 300,000,000
What is the function of an eosinophil?
Eosinophils kill parasites and are involved in allergic responses
What’s the function of a basophil?
Basophils make up less than 0.5% of WBCs. They’re involved in allergic responses and inflammation. Basophils contain heparin, a naturally-occurring blood-thinner, so they prevent blood clotting. Basophils release histamine to help in allergic reactions
What’s an immunoglobulin?
An immunoglobulin is an antibody, acting against pathogens to protect the body from infection
What’s a complement protein?
A plasma protein that can be activated directly by pathogens or indirectly by pathogen-bound antibody, which causes opsonisation and killing of bacteria
What is fibrinogen?
Fibrinogen is a major plasma protein that gets converted into fibrin in clot formation, to reinforce the primary platelet plug
How’s blood involved in homeostasis?
Blood maintains a pH of 7.4. Blood distributes heat around the body. Blood controls the distribution of water and solutes to tissues. Plasma pH, ion concentrations and protein concentrations must be kept within safe limits
What’s the average life span of RBCs?
120 days
What’s an approximate value for total blood volume in an adult?
Around 5 litres
What’s an approximate value for average plasma volume in an adult?
Around 40 ml/Kg
What the average haematocrit levels in men and women? (haematocrit level is the ratio of RBC volume to total blood volume)
For men, normal haematocrit level is 45%-52%
For women, normal haematocrit level is 37%-48%
What’s the function of albumin?
Albumin regulates the oncotic pressure of blood by binding water, cations, fatty acids, hormones, bilirubin, thyroxine and pharmaceuticals
What is a microbiome?
The microbiome is defined as the collective genomes of the microbes that live inside and on the human body
Define symbiosis
A relationship between 2 or more organisms that live closely together.
What is commensalistic symbiosis?
One organism benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped
What is mutualistic symbiosis?
Both organisms benefit from the relationship
What are the 2 types of mutualists?
An obligate mutualist cannot survive with out its partner, while a facultative mutualist can survive alone
What is parasitic symbiosis?
Where one organism benefits and the other (the host) is harmed.
Commensals are also sometimes referred to as the ‘______ _____’, which may vary at different sites of the body.
normal flora
What bacteria make up the normal flora of the skin?
Staphylococci and corynebacteria, coliforms, enterococci
Rather than infecting the host, what do commensal microbes do?
Commensal microbes colonise the host. This isn’t the same as infection, as infection implies that harm is done
What is opportunistic infection?
Commensal microbes do no harm in healthy individuals, but if the host’s defences are weakened, the commensals may infect the host
Some organisms that are commensals at one site in the body can be pathogenic at another site. Give an example
Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal in the nasal cavity, however if it gets into post-operative wounds, it acts as a pathogen and causes infection
Name 6 sites which are generally sterile, having no normal flora
- The lower respiratory tract
- Blood
- Bone, joint and subcutaneous tissue
- Female upper genital tract
- Urinary tract
- CNS, including CSF and the eyes
What’s the name of the commensal on the skins outer surface
Staphylococcus epidermidis
What happens if staphylococcus epidermidis infects an intravenous line?
It causes a blood stream infection
What word describes highly pathogenic microbes?
Virulent
What’s a saprophyte?
A plant, fungus or microorganism that feeds off dead or decaying organic matter
Name 3 routes of spread of infection
- Airborne/ droplet pathogens can get into the respiratory tract
- Pathogens can get into the GI tract via food and water
- Pathogens can get into the body via breaks in the skin
Describe herpes simplex virus
Herpes simplex is between 120-300nm in diameter. It has an envelope with a nucleocapsid inside. In between the nucleocapsid and the envelope there’s a tegument. Herpes simplex cannot be seen under a microscope. It stores its genetic information as DNA.
What do herpes simplex type 1 and 2 infect?
Herpes simplex type 1 generally infects the mouth, while type 2 tends to infect the genitalia
What virus causes chicken pox?
Varicella zoster virus
What virus causes glandular fever?
Epstein Barr virus
Describe adenovirus
Adenovirus has no envelope and stores its genetic information as DNA. It has different serotypes which can cause eye infection, respiratory infections or gastrointestinal infection
Describe papillomavirus
Papillomavirus has no envelope and stores its genetic information as DNA. It causes warts and cervical cancer
Describe HIV
HIV has an envelope and stores its genetic information as RNA
What’s rotavirus?
A small, non-enveloped virus which causes diarrhoea
Describe ebola
Ebola is an RNA virus which is enveloped and can be transmitted from person to person via direct contact with blood or bodily fluids
How does ebola infect people?
Ebola enters the body through mucus membranes, breaks in the skin or parenterally, and can infect many different cell types. The virus migrates from the initial site of infection to the lymph nodes, then to the liver, spleen and adrenal glands
What’s acute inflammation?
An initial rapid response to injury. A non-specific innate immune response.
What are the 5 purposes for acute inflammation?
- Alert the body
- Limit spread of infection or injury
- Protect an injured site from infection
- Eliminate dead cells
- Create the conditions required for healing
What are the 5 R’s of acute inflammation?
- Recognition of injury
- Recruitment of leukocytes
- Removal of injurious agent
- Regulation
- Resolution/ repair of affected tissue
What are the 5 signs of acute inflammation?
Redness Swelling Heat Pain Loss of function
What 3 vascular events occur in acute inflammation?
Vasodilation
Increased blood flow to the injured area
Increased vessel permeability
What is the overall vascular effect of acute inflammation?
Leukocytes and plasma proteins exit vessels and enter the inflammation site to deal with infection
What is inflammatory exudate?
The fluid that causes the swelling associated with acute inflammation
What’s inflammatory exudate made of?
Water, salts, small plasma proteins (fibrinogen), inflammatory cells and RBC’s
What is a pyrogen?
A substance which induces a fever
Name 2 endogenous pyrogens
IL-1, IL-6, TNF-a