IIH Flashcards
Where are the circulating blood cells formed? What is this process called
- Bone marrow
- Haematopoiesis
What is the lifespan of granulocytes?
Mostly consists of neutrophils, some basophil and eosinophil
Less than 48 hours
What is the lifespan of erythrocyte?
120 days
What is the lifespan of platelets?
7-10 days
What is the lifespan of monocytes?
Days to weeks depending on differentiation. Some macrophages in tissue can last years.
What is the lifespan of lymphocytes?
Days to years depending on whether naive or memory
What are the progenitor cells of the blood cell line?
Haematopoietic stem cell
What are the properties possessed by haematopoietic stem cell?
- Mostly in quiescent (non-dividing) state
- Capacity to self renew
- Multipotent
What are the 2 lineages to which haematopoietic stem cells can divide into and name all the cells that can be formed from these lineages?
- Myeloid
- Erythrocytes and platelets
- Neutrophils, basophils /mast cells, eosinophil
- Monocytes and macrophages
- Dendritic cell - Lymphoid
- T and B cells
- NK cell
What produces platelets? How many platelets can one of it produce?
Megakaryocytes. 2000-3000
What tests can be done to identify cell types in the laboratory?
- Full blood count
- Immunophenotyping: Specific proteins or cell markers that are found on the cell surface or inside the cell.
- Microscopic examination
- Genetic testing
- Functional assays to identify early lineage cells. (Functional activity of the cell)
What is an important immunophenotypic marker for a subset of marrow cells that include haematopoietic stem cells?
CD34
When is there an increase in haematopoietic stem cell?
- Marrow recovering from damage inflicted by cytotoxic drugs
- Administration of Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor. (G-CSF)
What is the use of G-CSF?
Mobilisation of stem cells into blood for harvesting for Haematopoietic Stem Cell transplants.
How do you differentiate Haematopoietic Stem Cell from rest of the cells in a blood culture for stem cell transplant?
Use CD34 marker
Where are the 4 regions in which haematopoiesis progresses to take place in a foetus? What day post-fertilisation does haematopoiesis starts to occur?
- Extra-embryonic Yolk Sac
- Aorta-gonad-mesonephros
- Foetal liver
- Bone marrow
Day 17
What are the 2 regions in the bone marrow and what is their specific functions?
Red - Rich in blood supply, found only in axial skeleton and contains 30-70% haematopoietic stem cells. Rest is fat.
Yellow - No active haematopoiesis so just fat cells present.
Can haematopoiesis occur in an adult liver and spleen? If yes, what conditions does it occur in?
Yes it can when the bone marrow is compromised eg in untreated thalassaemia and myelofibrosis
What are the possible options for a haematopoietic stem cell to become or not?
- Quiescence
- Self-renewal
- Differentiation
What are the fate choices for a progenitor cell?
- Proliferate
- Lineage commitment
- Terminal differentiation
What do haematopoietic stem cells require to develop and differentiate?
- Intrinsic factors: Transcription factors and epigenetic regulation
- Extrinsic factors: Cellular and soluble growth factors
What are the cellular elements provided by the bone marrow stroma?
- Fat cells
- Fibrocytes
- Extracellular matrix
- Sinusoids
- Reticular fibrocytes form the adventitial surfaces of the vascular sinuses, extend cytoplasmic projections and form lattice on which blood cells are found.
How can one demonstrate the lattice formed by extended cytoplasmic projections of the reticular fibrocytes?
Reticulin stains of marrow sections
Where is the sample of bone marrow taken from?
Iliac crest
What are the 2 ways in which bone marrow biopsy can be performed?
- Aspiration: Cells in the syringe
- Trephine: Removal of 1-2cm of bone marrow
What regulates the production of platelets? Where is this regulator produced?
Thrombopoietin produced in the liver
How long does a platelet transfusion usually last? How does this differ with transfusion in someone with immune thrombocytopenia?
- 1 to 5 days
- Immune thrombocytopenia only a few hours because autoantibodies against platelets rapidly destroy them and spleen clearance works alongside.
What regulates the production of
a) Granulocyte
b) Monocyte
a) G-CSF
b) GM-CSF
What is the difference between mature granulocyte and monocytes?
Mature granulocytes have lost chromation, segmented nuclei and cannot proliferate whereas monocytes are able to divide but have unusual proliferatin.
What regulates erythrocytes? Where is this produced? What is its stimulus?
Erythropoietin produced in the kidney (Peritubular fibrocytes of kidney cortex). Hypoxia
What can stain neutrophil lineage?
Myeloperoxidase (MPO)
What is the maturation steps of an erythrocyte?
- Pre-normoblast (Pre-erythrocyte)
- Normoblast
- Nucleus becomes more condensed and then extruded
- Cytoplasm contains more haemoglobin - Reticulocyte - Spend 1-2 days in bone marrow then circulate for another 1-2 days before terminally differentiating. It has no nucleus but still able to synthesise haemaglobin and contain some ribosomal RNA.
- Erythrocyte
What is the longevity of red blood cells from a transfusion?
1 month
What nutritional factors are needed for erythropoiesis to occur?
- Iron
- Folate
- B12
- B6,Vitamin C, E, cobalt, manganese and amino acids
What hormonal deficiencies can affect erythropoiesis?
- Hypothyroidism
- Lack of androgens
If normoblasts are present in a full blood count, what does it suggest?
Haemolytic anaemia as there is an increased stress for erythropoiesis
In what circumstances are erythropoietin recombinant given?
- Renal failure
- Anaemia due to malignant diseases receiving chemo/radiotherapy
- Patients donating their own blood prior to a surgery: Jehovah’s Witness alternative for transfusion
What are the possible side effects of EPO recombinant?
- Hypertension
- Thrombosis
- Thrombophlebitis (Inflammation of wall of vein: Usually in the leg)
When is G-CSF used in treatment?
- Neutropenic patients prevention of infection especially in those who have undergone chemotherapy or congenital neutropenia
- Mobilisation of stem cells for haematopoietic stem cell transplant
When is thrombopoietin used?
- Immune thrombocytopenia
- Myelodysplasia (bone marrow does not make enough healthy cells)
- Post chemotherapy
When do blood cancers arise?
When the balance between progenitor proliferation and differentiation is altered
What can cause blood cancers to arise?
- Genetic abnormality
- Viral infection: Epstein Barr can cause Burkitt’s lymphoma
What is the difference between leukaemia and lymphoma?
- Leukaemia is the cancer in the bone marrow that can spread to the lymph nodes and secondary lymphoid organs
- Lymphoma is the cancer of the lymph nodes or secondary lymphoid organs that spread to the bone marrow
How are blood cancers differentiated?
- Lymphoid (T-B cells) or myeloid lineage
How can once classify leukaemias?
AML- Acute Myeloblast Leukaemia
CML- Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia
ALL- Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia
CLL- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia
What is the function of neutrophils?
Engulf and destroy bacteria via phagocytosis
What is the most likely cause of death of someone with neutropenia?
Bacterial infection not treated with antibiotics
What is the function of eosinophils?
Parasite infections
What are the functions of monocytes?
Phagocytic to engulf and destroy dead cells, bacterial, protozoa and fungi.
What is the parameter that suggests anaemia in men and women in g/L?
Men <130
Women <120
What are the structures of a red blood cell?
- Biconcave in shape
- No nucleus
- 7 micrometer
- Consists of haemoglobin
What makes up the haemoglobin?
- Haem group
- 4 polypeptide chains 2 alpha and 2 beta
How does adult and foetal Hb differ?
Adult: 2 alpha and 2 beta
Foetal: 2 alpha and 2 gamma
Why does foetal blood contain gamma instead of beta?
2,3-DPG shifts curve to the right for more oxygen dissociation to occur. 2,3-DPG binds to beta so if there is no Beta, it is not influenced by 2,3-DPG and so foetal Hb curve more left shifted so it is less ready to give up oxygen.
What causes a left shift in Hb curve? Name condition/normal phenomena in which this is seen
- Decreased carbon dioxide
- Decreased hydrogen ions
- Decreased 2,3-DPG
- Decreased temperature
Seen in foetal blood
What causes a right shift in the Hb curve? Name condition/normal phenomena in which this is seen.
- Increased carbon dioxide
- Increased hydrogen ions
- Increased temperature
- Increase 2,3-DPG
Seen in sickle cell anaemia and methaemoglobin
What can cause a failure of haem synthesis?
- Porphyria: Inherited metabolic disorder due to slower production of haem.
- Sideroblastic anaemia: Abnormally nucleated erythroblasts with granules of iron accumulated on the mitochondria
What are the signs of porphyria?
Sensitivity in light, acute attacks
How is anaemia defined?
- Lack of blood
- Reduction of haemoglobin, red blood cell count or haemoglobin
What is normal Hb levels in pregnant women? Why is there an apparent anaemia?
> 110g/L. In pregnant women, the plasma volume increases so there is a decreased haematocrit.
In an acute major blood loss, when will anaemia become apparent?
After 24 hours
What is a haematocrit?
Fraction of RBC/FBC
What are the symptoms of anaemia?
- Fatigue
- Drowsiness
- Headaches
- Palpitations
- Shortness of breath
What are the signs of anaemia?
- Tachycardia
- Angular stomatitis
- Koilonychia: Spooning of the nails
- Pallor mucous membranes and conjunctiva
- Flow murmur
What 2 ways can be used to classify anaemia?
- Size of red blood cell (Macro, normo or microcytic)
- Cause of anaemia (Reduced RBC, Poor function, Increased loss or destruction)
What causes a normocytic anaemia with an increased loss of red blood cell?
Acute blood loss/ Anaemia of chronic disease (can cause result in microcytic anaemia)
What causes a microcytic anaemia with an increased loss of red blood cell?
Iron deficiency anaemia
What are the causes of Iron Deficiency Anaemia?
- Dietary
- Chronic blood loss
- Menstruation
- Gastritis/ulcer of the GIT
What can cause a macrocytic anaemia with a reduced production of red cells?
B12/folate deficiency. Pernicious anaemia due to a loss of IF which is needed for B12 reabsorption at the terminal ileum.
What causes a microcytic anaemia with a poor function of red blood cells?
Thalassaemia: Autosomal recessive condition due to abnormal production of polypeptide
Sickle cell anaemia
What causes macrocytic anaemia with an increased destruction of RBC?
- Haemolytic anaemia which is an autoimmune condition that produces autoantibody against body’s own RBC.
- Hereditary Spherocytosis: Autosomal dominant
How can you differentiate haemolytic anaemia and hereditary sphrecytosis?
Coomb’s test- detection of antibodies against RBC’s. + for thalassaemia
How does one treat thalassaemia?
Transfusion
Problem associated with transfusion? What is used to fix the problem?
Iron overload can corrected using deferoxamine which binds iron to aluminium.
What is the problem in hereditary spherocytosis?
Red blood cells are sphere shaped due to a defect in the outer layer. So, red cells are broken rapidly by the liver leading to a splenomegaly.
What does haemostasis mean?
Process that results in the stopping of bleeding following a vessel injury
What is the membrane of the platelet made up of?
- Phospholipid bilayer
- Glycoprotein receptors GPIb/IIb/IIIa
What is the cytoplasm of the platelet made up of?
- Actin and myosin fibrils which interact after platelet activation to enable platelet to change shape.
- Storage granules either dense, alpha granules or glycogen.
- Dense granules contain mediators of platelet activation such as serotonin, ADP, catecholamines, calcium
- Alpha granules contain clotting factors
- Glycogen granules used as an energy source
What are the sequence of events following blood vessel injury?
- Localised vasoconstriction at the site of the injury.
- Platelet adhesion to the sub-endothelial collagen of damaged blood vessel.
- Activation of coagulation cascade
How does platelet adhesion to the sub-endothelial collagen of damaged blood vessel?
- It is mediated by vWF adherence to platelet membrane on the GPIb.
- This causes GPIIb/IIIa to adhere as well making the bond stronger.
What happens once the platelets adhere to the sub-endothelial collagen of the damaged blood vessel?
Platelet aggregation activation occurs where damaged blood endothelium releases ADP and when exposed to collagen or thrombin activates platelet metabolic pathways. This contributes to a thrombus formation.
What is the complication of liver failure?
Bleeding because liver is an important coagulation factor synthesiser.
What happens after thrombus is formed?
Fibrinolytic degradation of clot
Explain the platelet coagulation cascade?
Tissue factor (TF) activates VIIa which activates V which is paired with X. Xa then activates prothrombin to thrombin which then activates fibrinogen to fibrin which forms a mash of a stable plug. Thrombin also activates plasminogen into plasmin and factor XIII. Plasmin and factor 13 work together to break the cross-link. XIIa-> XIa-> IXa +VIIIa-> Xa+V
What is calcium needed for?
Phospholipid binding of clotting factors.
What is an example of a tissue factor?
Thromboplastin
What causes haemophilia A?
Clotting factor VIII deficiency
What causes haemophilia B?
Clotting factor IX deficiency
What happens in von Willebrand Disease?
- No vWF released to bind to GPIb and cause platelet adhesion to the sub-endothelial collagen of the damaged blood vessel.
What causes the Bernard-Soulier syndrome?
Deficiency in the GPIb in the platelet membrane
What causes Glanzmann’s Thrombasthenia?
Deficiency in GPIIb/IIIa
What is the most common cause of acquired thrombocytopenia?
- Autoimmune destruction
- Bone marrow failure
What can cause the acquired deficiency of clotting factors?
- Liver disease
- Vitamin K deficiency
What clears the fibrin degradation products?
Cleared by the reticulo-endothelial system
When does the blood vessel repair process occur and what happens during this repair process?
Occurs simultaneously with the fibrolysis. Blood vessel smooth muscle and endothelial cells undergo cell division and multiply until the breach of the vessel is closed
What factor plays a major role in the vessel repair process?
Platelet derived growth factor.
What are the anticoagulant mechanisms in place to prevent coagulation activation proceeding as far as thrombus formation?
- Anti-thrombin
- Protein C system
- Presence of natural heparins on the endothelial cell surface
How does the anti-thrombin mechanism function?
Inactivated thrombin and factors IX,X,XI
How does the Protein C system work?
- Free thrombin binds to Thrombomodulin (TM).
- This allows protein C to bind adjacent to it.
- Protein C is cleaved into its activated form.
- Activated protein C forms a complex with its cofactors protein S and inactive FV.
- Enzymatically degrades factor V and VIII.
- Significant suppression of coagulation activation and restricts the thrombus to the site of the injury.
How does natural heparin work as an anti-coagulant?
- Binds to the endothelial cell surface to enhance the anticoagulant activity of anti-thrombin
- Synthesis and release of a platelet inhibitory prostaglandin called prostacyclin.
What are the main consequences of occlusion of arterial or venous blood?
- Myocardial infarction
- Cerebrovascular stroke
What do you call the conditions that predispose to thrombosis?
Thrombophilias
What are the 3 hereditary thrombophilia states?
- Factor V Leiden mutation.
- Protein C, S and AT deficiency, mutation in prothrombin gene
- Elevation in the circulating levels of the amino acid homocysteine associated with arterial and venous thrombosis
What happens in a factor V Leiden mutation?
- Impaired protein C cofactor activity
- When active form, resistant to neutralisation by protein C
What causes acquired thrombophilia states?
- Malignancy
- Lupus anticoagulant
- Surgery
- Long haul flights
- Myeloproliferative disorders
- Prolonged periods of immobility
- Pregnancy
- Smoking
What is the lupus anticoagulant?
Autoantibody that causes prolongation of the phospholipid- based in vitro coagulation tests
What does lupus anticoagulant present with?
- Recurrent thrombosis
- Recurrent miscarriage
What are the 2 most common coagulation tests?
- Prothrombin time (PT)
- Activated Partial thromboplastin time (APTT)
What are Prothrombin Time and Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time used for?
- Investigation of bruising or bleeding
- Monitoring warfarin
- Monitoring IV Heparin
What does an isolated prolongation of the Prothrombin Time indicate?
Factor VII deficiency
What causes factor VII deficiency?
- Hereditary
- Mild liver disease
- Mild Vitamin K deficiency
If APTT returns to normal it indicates a?
Clotting factor deficiency (Factor 8,9,11,12)
If APTT fails to correct, is shows?
Presence of an inhibitor such as lupus anticoagulant or factor 8 antibodies
If both PT and APTT are prolonged, what does that mean?
- Single factor deficiency in common pathway so factor 10,5, prothrombin or fibrinogen
- Multiple factor deficiency due to liver disease, Vitamin K, warfarin therapy, DIC, Dilutional Coagulopathy
What function does vWF serve for Factor VIII?
Acts as a carrier protein
Where is vWF synthesised?
Blood vessel endothelial cells and megakaryocytes
How does the analyser that measures full blood count work?
- Laser light shined on each cell
- Degree of scattering is measured
What does side and forward scatter show?
Size and granularity of cell
What does mean cell Hb concentration show?
Concentration of haemoglobin and can deduce if normochromic, hyperchromic or hypochromic
When can hypochromic be seen?
Microcytic anaemia
When can hyperchromic be seen?
Sickle cell anaemia
Hereditary spherocytosis
When can normochromic be seen?
Macrocytic anaemia
When can mean cell Hb concentration be artificially high?
Agglutination
What happens in polycythaemia?
Increased number of red blood cells produced. This increases haematocrit and blood viscosity and thus more prone to thrombosis.
What are the primary and secondary causes of polycythaemia?
Primary - JAK2 mutation - Malignancy in bone marrow Secondary - Living in higher altitudes - EPO injections increase red blood cell number - Chronic hypoxia due to COPD
If precursor to WBC is present in blood, what does it suggest?
Sepsis
Leukaemia
What is the difference between neutrophil and lymphocyte count between adults and children?
Adults have more neutrophils than lymphocytes. Opposite is true for children
What does high neutrophil count suggest?
Infection
What causes a variation in neutrophil count?
- Age
- Gender
- Pregnancy
- Race
- Physiological status
- Exercs=use
What causes neutrophilia (Increased neutrophil number)?
Corticosteroids as they suppress inflammation
What causes neutropenia based on inherited, acquired, reduced production and increased destruction?
Inherited + Reduced production - Congenital - Cyclical Inherited + Increased destruction - Autoimmune neutropenia due to SLE or Evan's syndrome Acquired+ Reduced production - Blood cancer - Aplastic anaemia - B12/folate deficiency - Drugs such as carbimazole (treat hyperthyroidism) - Viral infection Acquired + Increased destruction - Chemotherapy
What controls the production of lymphocytes?
Growth factors
What causes the expansion of lymphocytes?
Antigen driven production
How does sequesteration of lymphocytes occur?
- In secondary lymphoid tissue
- Maintain reserves outside of cells
How does the apoptosis of lymphocytes occur?
- Ligation of death receptors via Fas expressed by cytotoxic T cells.
- Deprivation of growth and survival factors
What do cells undergoing apoptosis go through?
- Cell shrinkage
- Chromatin condensation
- Chromatin marginalisation
- Plasma membrane blebbing
What causes lymphocytosis?
- Reactive to overcome infection
- Clonal due to malignancy
What is the neoplasm during development?
Leukaemia of T/B cell
What is the neoplasm in matured lymphocytes?
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/lymphomas
- Hodgkin and non-hodgkin lymphomas
What causes lymphopenia?
Inherited: Recurrent severe bacterial, viral, fungal infection SCID (absence of T cells)
Acquired: Immunosuppresants used in inflammatory disease and cancer
What causes an increased and decreased monocyte count?
Increased
- Leukaemia, infection and Epstein Barr Virus
Decreased
- GATA2 mutation, marrow infiltration
What causes increased and decreased basophil count?
Increased
- Infection, hypothyroidism, myeloid malignancy
Decreased
- Hyperthyroidism, steroids
What causes increased and decreased eosinophil count?
Increased
- Parasitic infection, Allergic condition, Hypereosinophilic syndrome
Decreased
- Alcohol, steroid
What can cause thrombocytopenia?
- Underproduction
- Increased destruction
- Sequestration
- Abnormal platelet function
What causes thrombocytopenia due to underproduction?
- Infection
- Vitamin B12/folate deficiency
- Infiltration of marrow
- Aplastic anaemia
What is the management for thrombocytopenia due to underproduction of platelets?
- TPO recombinant
- Platelet transfusion
- Treat underlying condition
What causes thrombocytopenia due to increased platelet destruction?
- Immune thrombocytopenic purpura
- SLE
- HIV/Hep C
- Heparin induced thrombocytopenia
- Post-transfusion purpura
- DIC
What are the managements available for increased platelet destruction?
Splenectomy
Steroids
What are the causes of sequestration?
Hypersplenism due to cirrhosis, infection, malignancy
What are the causes of abnormal platelet function?
Inherited: vWF, Bernard Soulier, Glanzmann’s
Acquired: Aspirin, liver disease, autoimmune, severe iron or folate deficiency
What are the features of a prion?
- No nucleic acid
- Smaller than virus
What is a consequence of a prion infection?
Fatal neurodegenerative disease
What are the 2 disease that causes neuronal function loss?
- Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
- Variant Creutzfeldt- Jakob disease (vJCD)
What causes the neuronal function loss in bovine spongiform and varian Creutzfeldt Jakob disease?
Misfolding of protein that incorporated into brain tissue to form amyloid fibres which aggregate and cause progressive degeneration
Why are prions difficult to eradicate?
- Heat and disinfectant resistant
What is the difference between PrPsc and PrPc?
PrPc is normal whereas PrPsc is infectious
What is the common structure of all viruses?
- Either DNA/RNA genetic material
- Capsid
- Has neuraminidase (N) and haemagglutinine (H)
- Only reproduce within the host cell
What disease does Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) cause?
- Chicken pox, adaptive immunity remains but T-cells decrease with age so re-exposure in old age can cause Shingles
What does Shingles affect?
Affects nerve root ganglia and can be debilitating for elderly.
What is the bacterial pyramid made up of?
- Obligate pathogens that are always pathogenic
- Opportunistic pathogens that are only pathogenic when affects someone with a suppressed immune system or based on location
- Commensals that pose no threat
What is a bacterial unit typically made up of?
- Plasmid
- Nucleoid
- Fimbriae/pilli
- Cell wall made up of proteoglycan
- Ribosomes
- Flagella
How are bacteria classified?
- Gram +/-
What features discriminate between gram +/-?
- Gram + has thick peptidoglycan wall, lipotechnoic acid and purple stain
- Gram - has a thin peptidoglycan wall, lipopolysaccharide and pink strain.
What is the immune irritant for gram + and gram -?
- Gram +: Septic cshock
- Gram -: Sepsis
What are the bacterial products that cause disease?
- Toxins
- Lipopolysaccharide structure
- Flagella
- Fimbriae
- Extracellular polysaccharide
What feature does the Lipopolysaccharide has?
O- antigen which is released upon lysis and is toxic
What causes bacteria to move through flagella?
Chemotaxis
What does the pilli/fimbrae do?
Attach to host cells example in UTI attach to Ureter
What are the features of fungi?
- Multicellular
- Chitin cell wall
- Contains mitochondria, golgi apparatus, ER
What is an ex of a fungal infection?
Athletes foot due to candida infection
What is the ideal environment for fungal infection?
- Moist
- Slightly acidic
- Can grow with or without light
What are the anti-fungal drugs available
- Amphotericin B
- Azole
Is bacteria a prokaryote or eukaryote?
Prokaryote
What are the 5 things a bacteria needs to do to cause disease?
- Attach to host
- Invade the host
- Nutrient acquisition
- Immune evasion
- Cause damage
How does the bacteria attach to the host?
Fimbriae or pilli used to attach and their own uptake into pathways to allow intracellular survival rather than killing.
What system does the bacteria use to invade the host?
Type 3 secretion system to promote invasion
How does the bacteria acquire nutrients?
It consists of siderophores that can scavenge for iron from host proteins
How does the bacteria evade hosts immune system?
- Inhibit apoptosis by inhibiting phagocytosis, antigen presentation and inappropriate T-cell activation.
What are the 2 ways in which bacteria can cause damage?
- Direct using toxins
- Indirect via over-activation of inflammation
What happens in Group A streptococci and acute rheumatic fever?
Antibodies to streptococcal proteins cross react with heart, lung and kidney
What is the consequence of staphylococcus aureus toxin?
Toxic shock syndrome
What is the target of Beta lactam antibiotics?
Bacterial cell wall
Examples of beta lactam antibiotics
Penicillin, cephalosporin, carbapenems and monobactams
What site does antibiotics like tetracycline and aminoglycoside act on?
Bacterial ribosome
What is the action of penicillin on the bacterial wall?
Inhibits enzymes that make the crosslinks in the peptidoglycan polymer found in the bacterial cell wall
What initially caused the resistance to penicillin?
Beta lactam ring was broken by an enzyme released by the staphylococcus.
What is different to cause MRSA?
MRSA strain produced a different beta lactam target enzyme to synthesise its cell wall called penicillin binding protein 2A
How can MRSA be treated?
Using toxic and not very effective vancomycin.
How did Ampicillin cause resistance in E.coli?
Beta Lactamase TEM is transferable between different gram negative bacteria by means of plasmids. Plasmids are double stranded DNA.
What causes the spread of antibiotic resistance?
- Existence of megacities
- Poor public health with poor infrastructure and unclean water/poor sewage disposal
- Extensive use of antibiotics
How do we combat antibiotic resistance?
- Use less antibiotics
- Antibiotic stewardship
- Restriction and changes in animal husbandry
Why are viruses called obligate?
No metabolic activity outside the host cell as it is not alive.
How are viruses classified?
6 Classification
- Double stranded DNA
- Single stranded DNA
- Double stranded RNA
- Sense RNA v
- Antisense RNA
- RNA reverse transcriptase
- DNA reverse transcribing virus
What is the viral life cycle?
- Entry
- Replicate
- Assemble
- Release
What is needed for virus to enter?
Virus requires a specific target protein
Where does flu virus bind to and in what species can it bind to?
Sialic acid. Bind to pigs, birds and humans
What happens during the replication stage of the virus?
- Virus begins to take control of cell synthesis in order to synthesise viral components
What does it require to take control of the cell’s synthesis?
- Essential replication factors
- Subunits that assemble new capsids
- Copies of viral genome
What are the 2 ways in which virus can be released?
- Cell lysis
2. Budding
What virus uses cell lysis method? How does it work?
Non-enveloped virus destroys the target cell and has a high replication rate
How does budding work?
- Intracellular vesicle or surface release over an extended period of time
- Leads to a chronic infection
What does tropism mean?
Virus infects cells by binding to a specific receptor on the surface and it is organ/species specific
What receptor does HIV bind to? Which cells are these receptors found on?
CD4 and CCR5
CD4 T-cells and macrophages
How is the Herpes Simplex Virus different to HIV?
HSV invades immune system then becomes quiescent by residing in the nucleus of the host cell and not producing any proteins. However, it produces a spectrum of microRNA’s that can act to control the host cell. It is not recognised by the immune system as protein needed for immune recognition
What are the 4 types of infection graphs? Give an example of virus for each type of infection.
- Acute infection - Rhinovirus/influenza
- Persistent smouldering - Lymphocytic choriomeningitis
- Latent, persistent - Herpes Simplex Virus
- Persistent, slow - HIV