Infection and Microbiology Flashcards
What is the biggest kind of microbe?
Eukaryotic
What are the smallest microbes?
Viruses
What microbes are of intermediate size?
Prokaryotic microbes
Do prokaryote microbes have membranes
No- no nuclear membrane or membrane-bound organelles
Do prokaryotic microbes have DNA or RNA?
Both
What are viruses?
Obligate cell parasites
What is meant by obligate?
It has to perform a specific function
Do viruses have DNA or RNA?
One or the other, but not both
Are all agents of infection microbes?
No
What are most deep tissues considered to be?
Sterile
Where are microbes predominantly found?
Epithelial tissue
Why are microbes predominantly found in epithelial tissue?
All epithelial surfaces are constantly in contact with microbes
How was the stomach traditionally considered?
As sterile
Why was the stomach traditionally considered sterile?
Because the acid
What is now known regarding the stomach?
Some microbes are able to withstand acid, and can therefore infect the stoamch
Why aren’t bacteria seen on micrographs?
- They stain poorly with H&E
- Tissue preparation deliberately remove many of them
- Insufficient magnification
- Routine histology often ignores or deliberately removes the microbes normally present on/in the human body
What do normally resident microbes comprise?
Our microbiomes
What is the metabolic power and effect of our microbome comparable too?
At least an organ like the lvier
What are differences in individuals’ microbes linked to?
Health and disease
How is an individuals microbiome linked to health?
Important for tissue differentiation
How is an individuals microbiome linked to disease?
Can be significant in obesity, diabetes and psoriasis
What do we need to see microbes?
Special stains and microscopy techniques
What does the Gram stain allow?
Detection and beginnings of classification of most bacteria
What do acid fast stains allow?
Detection of bacterial causes of TB and leprosy
What is the clinical importance of bacteria stains?
Help in diagnosis and treatment of infection
What happens in the Gram stain?
- +vely charged crystal violet binds to -vely charged cell components, predominantly nucleic acids
- Iodine forms large molecular complexes with crystal violet
- Acetone and methanol extract the complexes through the Gram -ve, but not through the Gram +ve cell wall
- Red dye is used to stain the now unstained Gram -ve cells
What does the Gram stain reveal?
Profound difference in the cell surface of different types of bacteria
What colour do Gram+ bacteria stain?
Dark blue
What colour do Gram- bacteria stain?
Red
Describe the bacterial cell envelope of a Gram+ bacteria
- Single molecule spreading all the way around the cell surface
- Thicker peptidoglycan covering on outside
- Cytoplasmic membrane on inside
How does the Gram- cell envelope differ from that of the Gram+?
NAME?
Describe the bacterial cell envelope of a Gram- bacteria
- Outer membrane
- Layer of peptidoglycan
- Cytoplasmic membrane