M- Pharyngitis Flashcards
What is the most common cause of URI infections?
What is the most common URI?
Viruses are the most common causes of URI with the common cold (rhinovirus in adults and parainfluenza/coronaviruses in kids) being the most prevalent
What are the potential causes of pharyngitis?
Children under 3 and adults -- viruses Older children (5-15)- GABHS, viruses, mycoplasma pneumonia,
How can you distinguish between virally caused and bacterially caused pharyngitis?
Microbiological tests for GABHS infections.
You cannot tell from clinical grounds alone
What are the 6 main viruses that can cause pharyngitis?
- rhinovirus (children <3 and adults)
- influenza A,B C ( all ages)
- Enteroviruses (older children)
- EBV (older children/young adults)
What are the 3 main bacterial causes of pharyngitis?
- Strep pyogenes (GABHS)
- Mycoplasma pneumonia
- Corynebacterium diptheria
Describe the aerophilicity, mobility, spore forming capability, capsulation and gram stain properties of Corynebacterium diptheriae.
- aerobic
- non-motile
- non-spore forming
- non-capsulated
- gram + bacteria with clubbed ends
What are the special media used to grow C. diptheriae?
- Loeffler’s medium- enriched coagulated serum
2. Potassium tellurite - colonies look grey/black
Where does diphtheria reside?
What is the mode of transmission?
Who is most likely to get pharyngitis from diphtheria?
- cohabitates mucus membrane with saprophytic diptheriods (normal flora)
- transmitted by spread of nasopharyngeal secretions or contact with infected skin exudate and fomites
- elderly, urban poor, immigrants (unimmunized, dwindling immunity)
What are the 3 primary determinants of pathogenesis of diptheriae?
- state of immunity
- site of infection
- virulence/toxigenicity of the organism
What are the local and systemic effects of C. diphteriae infection?
Local:
- pseudomembrane- leathery membrane that covers the tonsils and can extend to involve the pharynx/larynx and bronchi
- bull neck- extensive pseudomembrane, cervical adenopathy, upper airway obstruction
Systemic:
- myocarditis
- neuropathies
Describe the toxin of C. diptheriae.
- lysogenic bacteriophage encoded- “tox” gene
- A-B toxin - B fragment binds to cell surface receptor (pro heparin binding EGF) and the A fragment inhibits protein synthesis by enzymatically transferring ADP-ribose from NAD to EF2
Why can you not remove the pseudomembrane associated with local C. diptheriae infection?
It can cause swelling, bleeding and aspiration
What determines the severity of myocarditis and neuropathy associated with C. diphtheria infection?
The amount of toxin absorbed **not necessarily the number of bacteria present
How are C. diphtheria infections treated?
How are they prevented?
Treatment:
1. anti-toxin - antibody to toxin from horses injected with inactivated diphtheria toxin used for treatment in conjunction with antibiotics
Prevention:
DTaP vaccine- diphtheria toxoid, tetanus toxoid, acellular pertussis components
What are the characteristics of streptococci? Gram staining spores? catalase? motility? oxygen usage?
Gram + cocci in pairs or chains non-spore forming catalase - non-motile facultative anaerobes or microaerophiles
What are the 3 growth patterns of streptococci on sheep agar plates? What is the major organism of each group?
- B-hemolytic- complete clearing indicating lysis of RBCs. S. pyogenes, s. agalactiae, s. bovis,
- alpha hemolytic - partial clearing indicating imcomplete lysis of RBCs and greenish discoloration. s. pneumoniae, s. viridans
- gamma hemolytic- no observable lysis of RBCs. Enterococcus
After you have identified a hemolysis pattern, how can streptococci strains be further categorized?
Which strains are most pathogenic in humans?
By their group specific carbohydrates using Lancefield classification.
It is meant to differentiate b-hemolytic strains, but there are some a/non-hemolytic strains that can be classified with this method.
Serogroups A-H, K-V
Humans are affected by A-D and G
What is the hemolysis pattern of S. bovis?
It is an alpha hemolytic strep that is group D on the lancefield scale
How are GABHS differentiated from other B-hemolytic strep?
Based on sensitivity to bacitracin.
A disk impregnated with bacitracin is placed on a lawn of bacteria and incubated.
If there is a clearing around the disk, the bacteria is sensitive to bacitracin and is GABHS
What is the major virulence factor of GABHS that allows it to be further subdivided?
What are the 3 throat strains?
M proteins are major virulence factors that have a variable region in the exposed amino terminus (over 100 serotypes)
The throat strains are usually M1, M6, M12
What are the 2 ways we are able to classify GABHS by their M proteins?
- humoral immunity - type specific antibodies against certain M proteins
- If non-typeable, CDC can generate DNA sequences of the gene encoding the M protein
What are the 3 major modes of transmission for GABHS?
- Air- respiratory droplets (NOT fomites)
- Food prepared by someone with an open lesion
- Hands (as proven by Semmelweis)
What are the 2 major portals of entry into the human body?
- throat- oropharynx, URT
2. skin