Lecture 7 Flashcards
Staphylococcus
Gram positive
Cocci
Grape-like clusters
Facultative anaerobes
Non-motile
Capsules and slime layers
Catalase positive
Commonly found in the environment
Slime layer allows bacteria to form a biofilm
Commonly found in hospital settings
Increased risk of nosocomial infection
Normal flora (commensals)
Most commonly on skin and mucous membranes
Skin, eyes, ears
Respiratory tract, urogenital tract, GI tract
Example of staphylococcus
S.aureus
MRSA
S.intermedius
hemolysis
Damages RBCs and hemoglobin
Most have some degree of hemolysis
Staph pathogenic factor
Coagulase
Binds to fibrin and causes clotting
Fibrin can cover the bacteria → helps bacteria to hide and to resist phagocytosis
Also causes pus to thicken
Staph pathogenic factor
Staph is normal flora where
Most commonly on skin and mucous membranes
Skin, eyes, ears
Respiratory tract, urogenital tract, GI tract
Staph is what type of disease
Primarily opportunistic
Disease occurs when natural defense mechanisms are compromised
Trauma to the skin or mucosa
Inflammation
Mastitis in cows #1 cause is
Staphylococcus aureus is the #1 cause of mastitis in North American dairies
Other species:
S. intermedius
S. epidermidis
Mastitis infection occurs due to
Opportunistic infection occurs due to:
Poor herd health management
Poor hygiene
Stress of 3rd trimester pregnancy, gestation
Change in diet rations
Lactation - physiological change as well as trauma to teats
Subclinical mastitis
subclinical mastitis due to S. aureus:
Difficult to identify and treat
Milk looks and smells normal, mammary gland appears normal, cow is “healthy” on PE
There is decreased total milk yield over time
Increased somatic cell count in milk
Milk may contain low numbers of bacteria
May be infected for months to years
Cannot eliminate S.aureus mastitis due to
Uniquity
Normal flora
Very resistant to dying - can survive weeks in the environment
Very resistant to changes in temperature - can survive cold and pasteurisation
Can persist in up to 12% NaCl and survive in 1% phenol for up to 15 min.
Antibiotic resistance
Prevention of mastitis
Maintain milking equipment
Better milking practices (teat dipping)
Fly control
Nutritional management
Calving management
Continued screening of herd for chronic subclinically infected cows and removing them from the herd
MRSA stand for and is resistant to
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Resistant to methicillin
Methicillin is an antibiotic
Semisynthetic derivative of penicillin
Was used against bacteria resistant to penicillin
Bacterial resistance to methicillin developed
Types of MRSA
Community-acquired MRSA
Hospital-acquired MRSA strains
Hospital-acquired MRSA
How to treat MRSA
Bacteria are resistant to a wide range of different antibiotic classes
Very difficult to treat
Patients are typically isolated/quarantined if in hospital to prevent spread
Has become a problem in vet clinics → skin and ear infections
Community-acquired MRSA
Up to 2% of the human population carries MRSA as part of normal flora
Antibiotic resistance is more limited -mostly to the beta-lactam class
Immunocompromised can develop mild illness → difficult to treat
Prevention of MRSA
Test before using antibiotics and only use when required
Autoclave materials before reuse
Hand washing
Staph Pyoderma is caused by and is what type of pathogen
Commonly caused by Staphylococcus intermedius in dogs
Normal skin flora
Opportunistic infection affects patients with:
Allergies (especially food allergy), atopy
Primary inflammation causes a warm, moist environment that allows normal flora to overgrow
Damages skin barrier so bacteria can enter subcutis
Skin parasites (mites, fleas, lice)
Immunosuppressions
How to collect culture
Clean AROUND lesion gently with water and mild cleanser.
Do not use disinfectant or alcohol.
Use a sterile culturette swab to collect sample. If open lesion, rub gently over lesion. If intact pustule, rub hard enough to break open.
If crusted, lift crust to reveal lesion. Avoid fur.
Place in transport media.
Streptococcus
Gram-positive
Cocci
Chains or pairs
Non-motile
Facultative anaerobes
Pathogenic species ferment carbohydrates
Catalase NEGATIVE
used to differentiate from Staphylococcus
Capsules
Help resist phagocytosis by WBCs
The more pathogenic species and strains have capsules
Strep pathogenic factor
Exotoxins
Step pathogenic factor
Hemolysin
Cardiotoxin
Streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxins - Cause toxic shock syndrome
Streptococcal group antigens
Carbohydrates found on the surface of the bacteria
Species are grouped according to markers (A, B,…)
May help in attaching to certain tissues
Strep is what type of pathogen
Primarily opportunistic
If present in urine or internal tissues, likely pathogenic
Can be secondary organism in diseased tissue
Present in higher than normal numbers, but did not cause the disease
Types of strep in vet med and what they cause
S. agalactiae → #2 cause of chronic mastitis in dairy cows
S. dysgalactiae → summer mastitis
S. uberis → environmental mastitis
S. bovis → ruminal acidosis; endocarditis
S. suis → septicemia, meningitis, endocarditis in pigs; emerging zoonosis
S. equi subspecies equi → strangles
S. canis → skin infections
Gram positive rods two types
Spore-forming
Bacillus anthracis
Clostridium
Non-spore-forming
Listeria monocytogenes - zoonotic, neurological
Rhodococcus equi - foal pneumonia
Bacterial endospores
“Hibernation” stage in certain bacteria
Bacillus spp.
Clostridium spp.
Different from persister cells
Sporulation triggered by starvation
Spore genes are turned on and the genes for metabolism, growth and repair are turned off
Germination triggered by return of water and nutrients
Genes responsible for growth, replication and repair are turned “ON”
Bacteria returns to metabolically active form
Very rapid process
Bacillus anthracis
Gram positive
Long chain rods
Strict anaerobe
Spore-forming
Physical changes caused by bacterial endospores
Thick protein coat develops around nucleoid
Chromosomal DNA condenses
Water is removed from cytoplasm
Bacillus anthracis transmission and exposure
Horizontal transmission
Most common route of infection in herbivores is ingestion of contaminated soil while grazing
Gastrointestinal anthrax
Can affect all species
Cattle and sheep most commonly reported
Zoonotic
Anthrax epidemiology
Endemic in Saskatchewan since 2006
Environmental reservoir
Soil, water, dried organic matter
Can be aerosolized and spread in air/wind
If flooding or excessive groundwater, can cause spores to reach surface faster and spread
Anthrax pathology
Ingested spore enters the small intestine
Germination triggered; bacteria replicates
Incubation period a few hours to 3 weeks depending on infectious dose
Vegetative B. anthracis produces exotoxin that are absorbed into circulation
Toxin #1 –causes severe edema and tissue necrosis
necrotic tissue has decreased oxygen so bacteria can spread
Toxin #2– exotoxin kills WBCs so host cannot fight off the infection
Clinical signs of anthrax
Clinical signs are related to tissue necrosis and edema
Most common clinical sign noted is death
Edema toxin causes such severe damage to vessel walls that there is fatal hemorrhage
Death usually occurs in 24-48 hours of start of clinical signs
Anthrax treatment, prevention and control
Vegetative form easy to treat with antibiotics
Vaccine available for at-risk animals
Once spores form, very hard to destroy in environment
Control spread of spores
Prevent air exposure
Plug all openings of carcass
Secure head in a plastic bag tied tight around neck
Protect from scavengers
Burn carcass
Anthrax is a REPORTABLE DISEASE
Suspect and confirmed cases of anthrax must be reported to the CFIA