Medical Microbiology Flashcards
What is the human microbiome?
The collection of all the microorganisms living in association with the human body (microflora, microbiota)
What is the number of human cells compared to the number of microorganisms in the body?
- 10^13 human cells
- 10^14 microorganisms
What is the number of genes in the human genome compared to the number of genes in the microbiome?
- 20,000 genes in human genome
- 20,000,000 genes in microbiome
When does colonization of microorganisms begin?
Right after birth
Where does the microbiota live?
Every exposed area of the body (skin, mucous)
Which parts of the body should be free of microbes?
Internal tissues (blood, muscles, organs)
What do the majority of microorganisms living inside the body do?
Harmless commensals that produce beneficial products & inhibit growth of pathogens
Which organism protects the female reproductive tract?
Lactobacillus acidophilus
What are the 3 different microenvironments of skin?
- Dry
- Moist
- Subcutaneous
What does higher moisture and warmer temperature skin allow for?
More microbes to grow
What are the 2 most common types of bacteria found on dry skin?
Betaproteobacteria & corynebacteria
What does corynebacterium diphtheriae cause?
Cutaneous diphtheria
What are the 2 most common types of bacteria found on moist skin?
Corynebacteria & staphylococci
What is an example of a harmless commensal found on skin?
Staphylococcus epidermis
What is an example of a pathogen found on skin and what does it cause?
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Causes boils, abscesses, & wound infections
What are examples of subcutaneous skin?
Oily skin around the nose and on the upper chest and back
What is the most common type of bacteria found on subcutaneous skin?
Propionibacteria
What are propionibacteria?
Anaerobic actinobacteria that produce propionic acid as an end-product of fermentation
What is an example of a bacteria found on subcutaneous skin and what does it do?
- Propionibacterium acnes
- Lives in hair follicles, eats sebum, which causes overgrowth and triggers inflammation/inflammatory acne
What are 2 antimicrobial enzymes found in saliva?
- Lysozyme
- Lacteroperoxidase
What is an example of an aerobic organism found in the mouth and where does it live?
Neisseria mucosa, which lives on mucous membranes like the tongue
What is an example of an anaerobic organism that lives in the mouth and what does it do?
- Streptococcus mutans, which is an aerotolerant anaerobe
- Produce a sticky dextran slime layer that lets it stick to surfaces
- Produces lactic acid as a fermentation end-product
- Degrades tooth enamel
- Can lead to gingivitis
What causes the stomach to be inhospitable to most microbes?
Low pH & proteolytic enzymes
What is an example of a microorganism found in the stomach and what does it do?
- Helicobacter pylori
- Colonizes surface of membrane, protected from stomach acid by mucous
- Produces endotoxins to trigger inflammation & exotoxins to kill cells in the membrane
- Cause of stomach ulcers
What type of antibiotics treat stomach ulcers?
Tetracycline
Which part of the small intestine has the most bacteria?
The part with the most neutral pH
What is an example of an organism found in the small intestine and what are its characterisitcs?
- Enterococcus
- Gram positive lactic acid bacteria
- Opportunistic pathogen
- Can develop antibiotic resistance easily
What microorganism causes nosocomial infections of the small intestine?
Enterococcus
Why does the large intestine have an extremely large number of microbes?
pH is neutral and environment is anoxic
What type of microbes are commonly found in the large intestine?
Anaerobes and facultative aerobes
What is an example of a bacteria found in the large intestine and what are its characteristics?
- E. coli
- Indicator of fecal contamination
What are the largest group of bacteria found in the GI tract?
Strict anaerobes from Bacteroides & Clostridium
A high number of this kind of microbe may contribute to obesity and why?
Methanogens because they use up a lot of H2 which promotes bacterial fermentation, which makes nutrients available to the host
What was found in germ free mice compared to normal mice?
Germ free mice had 40% less body fat
What happened when germ free mice were inoculated with microbes compared to healthy mouse intestines?
Inoculated mice quickly gained weight
What was the difference in microbes between normal weight mice and genetically obese mice?
Genetically obese mice had fewer Bacteroidetes, more Firmicutes, and way more methanogens
What can changing the microbiota of the large intestine do to human health?
May cause opportunistic pathogens to take over
What happens in antibiotic associated colitis?
Clostridium difficile grows and the colon inflames
What can treat antibiotic associated colitis?
- Further antibiotics
- Probiotics
- Fecal transplant
What are the 3 most common bacteria found in the upper respiratory tract?
- Staphylococci
- Streptococci
- Carynebacteria