MI: Mycobacterial Diseases Flashcards
How can mycobacteria be categorised?
Rapid-growing and slow-growing
List three types of mycobacterial complex.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- Mycobacterium bovis
Mycobacterium avium complex
- Mycobacterium avium
- Mycobacterium intracellulare
Mycobacterium abscessus complex
- Mycobacterium abscessus
- Mycobacterium massiliense
- Mycobacterium bolletii
Describe the morphology of mycobacteria.
- Non-motile rod-shaped bacteria
- Relatively slow-growing
- Cell wall composed of mycolic acids, complex waxes and glycoproteins
- Acid-alcohol fast
What is used as a screening test for mycobacterial infections?
Auramine stain
How are non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections transmitted?
- NOT person-to-person
- From the environment
- May be colonising rather than infecting
List three examples of slow-growing non-tuberculous mycobacteria and the diseases that they cause.
Mycobacterium avium intracellulare
- May invade bronchial tree or pre-existing bronchiectasis/cavaties
- Disseminated infection in immunocompromised patients
Mycobacterium marinum
- Swimming pool granuloma
Mycobacterium ulcerans
- Skin lesions (e.g. Bairnsdale ulcer, Buruli ulcer)
- Chronic progressive painless ulcer
List three examples of rapid-growing non-tuberculous mycobacteria.
- Mycobacterium abscessus
- Mycobacterium chelonae
- Mycobacterium fortuitum
List some risk factors for NTM.
Age
Underlying lung disease
How is Mycobacterium avium intracellulare treated?
- Clarthromycin/azithromycin
- Rifampicin
- Ethambutol
- +/- streptomycin/amikacin
What are the two types of Mycobacterium leprae infection?
- Paucibacillary tuberculoid - few skin lesions, robust T cell response
- Multibacillary lepromatous - multiple skin lesions, poor T cell response
What is the most common cause of death by infectious agent in the world?
- 1 = HIV
- 2 = TB
How many species are part of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex?
7 (including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, bovix and africanum)
What is the generation time of Mycobacterium tuberculosis?
15-20 hours
What is the infectious dose of Mycobacterium tuberculosis?
1-10 bacilli
Describe the natural history of primary TB.
- Usually asymptomatic
- Ghon focus (granuloma in the lungs)
- Controlled by cell-mediated immunity
- Occasionally causes diseeminated/military TB