M5: Clostridium & other Bacterial Diseases Flashcards
Clostridium botulinum
- spore-forming
- in anaerobic conditions, releases paralytic toxin that affects motor neurons –> botulism
3 situations causing of Botulism
- improperly canned/contaminated low-acidic foods –> low oxygen enviro –> toxin stimulated
- consumption of Clostridium botulinum before immune system fully functional (infant botulism)
- bacteria colonize deep wound –> release toxin inside body due to anaerobic conditions in wound (wound botulism
symptoms of botulism
- muscle weakness
- paralysis
- sleepy eyes when awake
- fixed and dilated pupils with light exposure
Clostridium tetani
- commonly found in soil, dust, animal feces
- releases tetanospasmin toxin that acts on inhibitory neurons –> causes Tetanus
Tetanus
- occurs when Clostridium tetani releases tetanospasmin toxin that acts on inhibitory neurons, causing systemic muscle stiffness/spasms
- also called lockjaw bc spasms usually start in masseter muscle
- untreated, can lead to respiratory failure bc breathing muscles stop working
- no cure but entirely preventable via vaccination
Clostridium perfringens
- found basically anywhere in nature
- produces alphatoxin perfringolysin under anaerobic conditions (usually in deep puncture wounds)
- alphatoxin forms pores in plasma membrane of host cells, causing uncontrolled ion fluxes leaded to cell lysis & cell death
Gas gangrene
- caused by Clostridium perfringens releasing alphatoxin perfringolysin
- symptoms: muscle necrosis, swelling of infected areas, fever, intense gas production (from robust carb fermentation)
- treatment = surgical removal of infected tissue and heavy antibiotics
Legionella
- normally found in freshwater reservoirs
- only transmitted via breathable droplets (enter lungs instead of stomach)
- when found in man-made water systems, water can become mist or vapor and be inhaled –> Legionnaire’s disease
- cannot be transmitted person-to-person
Legionnaire’s disease
- caused by inhalation of Legionella (Legionella pneumophila)
- symptoms occur 2-10 days post exposure
- treatable via antibiotics
symptoms of Legionnaire’s disease
- pneumonia
- fever
- headache
- muscle aches
- cough
- shortness of breath
Plague
- caused by flea bites from fleas infected with Yersinia pestis from small animals such as rats
- 3 types: bubonic, pneumonic, septicemic
- symptoms appear in 2-5 days
- treatable via common antibiotics such as tetracycline and doxycycline
Bubonic plague
characterized by painfully swollen lymph nodes
Pneumonic plague
causes rare, highly contagious respiratory infection
Septicemic plague
rarest form of plague, causes blood infection
general symptoms of plague (7)
- headache
- fever
- seizures
- bleeding
- difficulty breathing
- low BP
- organ failure
Bacillus anthracis
- gram positive
- aerobic
- rod shaped
- spore forming
- commonly found in soil
- if spores ingested (by grazing animals) or inhaled near an open wound, they can germinate, colonize the site of entry, and disseminate throughout hosts, causing Anthrax infection
- 3 main forms of anthrax: cutaneous, pulmonary, gastrointestinal
cutaneous anthrax
forms large, painless boil with dark center on skin at site of infection
pulmonary anthrax
- rare, caused by inhaling spores
- causes fever, headache, cough, SOB
gastrointestinal anthrax
- rare, caused by eating contaminated foods
- causes severe diarrhea, vomiting, acute inflammation of intestinal tract
Borrelia burgdorferi
- anaerobic
- motile (multi-flagellated)
- spirochete
- causes Lyme disease
- transmitted via deer tick bite from deer tick w/B. burgdorferi in saliva
Symptoms of lyme disease (5)
- trademark bullseye rash around bite mark
- fever/chills
- headache
- muscle/joint pain
- fatigue
untreated, can cause long-term systemic arthritic & neurological complications
