Micro Pre-Midterm Flashcards
Gram-positive cells
Positively blue! 2 layers:
- inner cytoplasmic mem;
- outer thick peptidoglycan layer (60-100%)
Low lipid content; NO endotoxin; NO periplasmic space; NO porin channel; vulnerable to lysozyme and penicillin attack
Streptococcus
Gram-pos. Form strips of cocci. Microaerophilic (some species of streptococci are facultative anaerobes)
Enterococcus
Gram-pos. Form strips of cocci. Microaerophilic
Staphylococcus
Gram-pos. Form clusters of cocci. Facultative anaerobes.
Bacillus
Gram-pos. Bacilli/rod. Produces spores
Clostridium
Gram-pos. Bacilli/rod. Produces spores. Obligate anaerobes.
Corynebacterium
Gram-pos. Bacilli/rod. NO SPORES
Listeria
Gram-pos. Bacilli/rod. NO SPORES. Facultative anaerobes.
Gram-negative cells
Red is negative! 3 layers:
- inner cytoplasmic mem
- thin peptidoglycan layer (5-10% peptidoglycan)
- outer mem w/LPS
High lipid content; endotoxin (LPS) - lipid A; periplasmic space; porin channel; resistant to lysozyme and penicillin attack
Neisseria
Gram-neg. Diplococcus (looks like 2 coffee beans kissing)
Spirochetes
Gram-neg. Spiral. NOTE: have addtn’l phospholipid-rich outer mem w/few exposed proteins -> protection from immune recog.
Mycoplasma
NO CELL WALL! Only have simple cell mem, so neither gram-pos or gram-neg
Nocardia
Obligate aerobes. Weakly acid-fast.
Bacillus cereus (reservoir, transmission, metab, virulence, clinical, tx, dx)
Transmission - endospores
Metab - aerobic
Virulence - 1. NO capsule, 2. motile
Clinical - food poisoning: nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
Tx: 1. vancomycin, 2. clindamycin, 3. resistant to beta-lactam abx, 4. no txt for food poisoning (Be serious, Dr. Goofball, food poisoning is caused by pre-formed enterotoxin)
Dx - culture specimen from suspected food source
Bacillus cereus
Gram-pos. Bacilli/rod. Produces spores. Obligate aerobes.
Food poisoning enterotoxin - heat stable toxin
Dz: 1. vomiting that lasts for less than 24 hrs
2. limited diarrhea
Note: 1. B. cereus endospores survive low temp cooking. Then, this bacterium grows and deposits this toxin on food
2. B. cereus can also produce food poisoning by secretion of a heat labile enterotoxin (similar to that of E. coli)
Bacillus anthracis
Gram-pos. Bacilli/rod. Produces spores. Facultative anaerobes
Bacillus anthracis (reservoir, transmission, metab, virulence, clinical, tx, dx)
Reservoir: Herbivores (zoonotic): sheep, goats, cattle
Transmission: endospores - 1. cutaneous, 2. inhalation, 3. ingestion
Metab - aerobic (can grow w/out O2 -> classified as facultative anaerobe)
Virulence - 1. Unique prot capsule (polymer of gamma-D-glutamic acid): antiphagocytic
- Non-motile
- Virulence depends on acquiring 2 plasmids. One carries the gene for the protein capsule; the other carries the gene for its exotoxin (PA, EF, LF)
Clinical: anthrax 1. cutaneous (95%) - painless black vesicles; can be fatal if untx’ed
- Pulmonary (woolsorter’s dz)
- GI: abdominal pain, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea -> infxn results in perm immunity (if pt survives)
Tx: 1. ciprofloxacin, 2. doxycycline, 3. vaccine for high-risk people (vaccine is composed of PA. Animal vaccine is composed of live strain, attenuated by loss of its protein capsule)
Dx: 1. Gram stain, 2. culture, 3. serology, PCR of nasal swab
Bacillus anthracis (miscellaneous exotoxins)
Misc exotoxins: anthrax toxin (edema factor/EF, lethal factor/LF, protective antigen/PA)
Mech: 1. PA - binding B subunit, which allows entry of EF into cell
- EF - (A subunit). Calmodulin-dependent AC increases cAMP, which impairs neutrophil fxn and causes massive edema (disrupts water homeostasis)
- LF - zinc MMP that inactivates protein kinase. This toxin stimulates macrophage to release TNF-a and IL-1B, which contributes to death in anthrax
Dz: anthrax. EF -> an EC AC that gets internalized by “defensive” phagocytic cells. AC is activated by calmodulin, increasing cAMP conc w/in neutro and macs -> this inhibs their ability to phagocytose bacteria.
Notes: 1. All 3 components needed for toxin activity. 2. PA is the B (action) subunit and EF is the A (binding) subunit of anthrax toxin
Actinomyces
Gram-pos. Facultative anaerobes
Pseudomonas
Gram-neg. Obligate aerobes