Leptospira, Brachyspira, Borrelia Flashcards
What are the spirochetes
Leptospira, brachyspira, borellia
Leprospira gram stain and size
Not well at staining but gram-negative and very long
Leprospira replication/where it lives
No replication outside host but can live in water or urine soaked soil for days to months
Rats spread it in urine a lot
Leprospira Pathogenic features
Hemolysin which damages host membranes which causes intravascular hemolysis
Leprospira Transmission
Rodents shedding (frequently asymptomatic) and incidental hosts are infected by direct contact with urine or venereal or placental transfer or contaminated water/food/soil- organisms can penetrate mucous membranes through mouth, eye, etc.
Leprospira Pathogenesis
Penetration of mucous membranes–> systemic spread—> replication–> vascular damage and thrombocytopenia–> death OR bacteria proliferated and localizes in kidneys and spleen causing renal failure and liver disease OR renal colonization and becoming a carrier state called leptospiruria
Leprospirosis Disease
Early stages- fever, depressed, anorexic, vomiting, diarrhea then hemolytic anemia
Can cause kidney disease and liver disease, icterus, abortion, anemia, death
Also discovered pulmonary hemorrhage syndrome in lungs
or dog may recover but still infected
Infected dogs shed organisms in urine for months
Diagnosis of Leptospirosis
Serology
Leprospirosis treatment
Antibiotics-long term, supportive care, many different vaccines
Bovine Leptospirosus organism
Leptospira borgperersenii hardjo
L. hardjo causes what disease symptoms
Infertility
Bovine leptospirosis diagnosis
Serology
Bovine leptospirosis vaccine
Yes but doesn’t last more than 6 months
Leptospirosis symptoms in other animals
Abortion in swine, sheep, goats, and horses
Leptospirosis infection in humans
It is zoonotic and see hemolytic anemia, liver and kidney disease
Outcome best if treatment initiated early
Brachyspira hyodysenteriae causes what disease in what
Dysentery in swine- bloody diarrhea
Brachyspira hyodysenteriae Pathogenic features
Produces enzyme (beta-hemolysin) that is cytotoxic to intestinal cells of epithelium
Brachyspira hyodysenteriae Transmission
Carrier pigs, fecal oral transmission
Brachyspira hyodysenteriae Diagnosis
Demonstration of organism in feces- PCR
Brachyspira hyodysenteriae Treatment
Antibiotics in water to all infected pigs
Brachyspira hyodysenteriae Control
Eliminate herd, clean well, and repopulate from free herd
Borrelia burgdorferi causes what
Lyme disease
Borrelia burgdorferi requires what for survival
Requires host or tick vector for survival, can’t live in environment
New Borrelia species
B. mayonii
Borrelia Pathogenic features
Several outer surface proteins that are crucial for attachment to tissues in hosts- OspA protein (attachment to tick gut) and other osps for attachment to mammalian hosts
Antigenic variation- change outer surface protein to remain undetected in host
Borrelia transmission
Lots of reservoir hosts- wildlife that ticks feed on
Deer ticks transmit- must be attached for 36-48 hours for transmission to occur
Lyme disease in humans symptoms- acute
Acute- flu-like symptoms- fever, headache, malaise and erythema migrans- a bull’s eye lesion at site of bite
Lyme disease in humans symptoms- chronic
Arthritis and joint swelling, cardiac disease, and neurological manifestations (seizures)
Diagnosing Lyme disease in humans
Clinical signs and serology (blood test showing antibody)
Lyme disease in dogs how many are asymptomatic
95% of exposed
Lyme disease in dogs- primary manifestation
Arthritis- joints swollen, hot, painful, shifting leg lameness
Also like humans may see cardiac disease (arrhythmias), neurological signs (aggression, seizures)
Do dogs get EM (erythema migrans) from Lyme disease
Rare
Diagnosis of Lyme disease in dogs
Clinical signs, serology, SNAP 3Dx Test and response to treatment of antibiotics
What about using the SNAP test for vaccinated animals
It can differentiate
Treatment of animals with Lyme disease
Use long term (>30 days) antibiotic therapy
Prevention of Lyme disease
Remove tick, tick control, vaccinate
Lyme disease in horses and cattle clinical signs
Most don’t show any signs but may be lame, joint pain, fever
What causes severe leptospirosis in cattle and what are the symptoms
non-host adapted strains, causes abortion, infection localizes in kidney, genital tract, and mammary gland
