Micro- Zoonotic Infections Flashcards
What are the 3 major zoonotic pathogens that cause serious disease?
What age group do they tend to affect?
- Yersinia pestis [plague]
- Franisella tularensis [tularemia]
- Brucella [brucelliosis]
These diseases tend to occur in adults
To what area of the country is yersinia pestis restricted [in the absence of a bioterror attack]?
What is the reservoir?
West and Southwest
It is sylvatic/enzootic plague found in small rodents and the larger animals that eat the small rodents
What is the most common source of brucelliosis in Texas?
Unpasteurized goat milk products from Mexico
How does yersinia pestis gram stain?
G+ or G-? Cocci or bacilli?
What is unique about the staining on Wright or Wayson?
What is the oxygen requirements?
It is a G- bacillis that has bipolar staining on wright or wayson.
It is a facultative anaerobe
What temperature and what type of media can yersinia pestis grow on?
How long does it take to grow visible colonies?
Yersinia grows at 28 degrees celcius on blood or MacConkey’s agar.
It takes 2 days to grow visible colonies
What disease is caused by:
- yersinia pestis
- Y. enterocolitica
- Y. pseudotuberculosis
What is the reservoir for these organisms?
- bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic plaque
- gastroenteritis
- gastroenteritis
Reservoir: variety of animals and birds [y. pseudoTB]
How does an usually contract plaque?
- direct or indirect exposure to a plague-infected animal
- handling infected animals
- bitten by an infected rodent flea - bioterror
In what areas of the world is plague most prevalent today?
Sub-saharan Africa and Madagascar
Describe the pathogenesis of yersinia pestis from introduction to the host until first symptom of the plague.
yersinia pestis grows in gut of infected fleas where it expresses anti-phagocytic fractionI antigen.
- flea bites and regurgitates yersinia pestis into the bite site
- it travels by cutaneous lymphatics to lymph nodes
- y. pestis is phagocytosed by PMNs and monocytes
- PMNs kill the bacteria, mononuclear phagocytes do not
- Proliferation in the lymph nodes lead to swelling [BUBO] that occurs after 2-6 days
What antigen is up-regulated while Y. pestis grows in the lymph node that helps it evade host immune response?
Y. pestis synthesizes an increased level of anti-phagocytic fraction I antigen which helps it resist further phagocytosis
What is the pathogenesis of y. pestis once it is released from regional lymph nodes?
- released from regional lymph nodes via cell lysis
2. hematogenous dissemination causing septicemia
What 4 symptoms are associated with “secondary septicemic plaque”?
When does it occur?
Secondary septicemic plague occurs after infection with Y. pestis–> bubo formation–> dissemination in the blood.
- shock
- DIC
- necrotic and hemorrhagic lesions in other organs
- purpura of distal extremities [fingers] become gangrenous (which is why it is called “black death”)
What is primary septicemic plague?
Severe febrile illness that occurs in the absence of obvious buboes or pneumonic plague
What are the 2 causes of pneumonic plague?
What is case fatality of pneumonic plague if untreated? Treated?
- bubonic and/or septicemic plague proceed to involve the lungs
- inhalation of aerosolized Y. pestis [bioterror scenario]
Untreated : 100%
Treated: 57%
How is diagnosis of plague made?
- febrile patient that was exposed to animals or had insect bites in a plague endemic area should be suspected
- if bubonic–>bubo should be aspirated and:
- gram and wayson stained
- cultured on blood and macconkeys
If septicemic or pneumonic:
-culture and stain blood and sputum respectively
What must you do if you suspect a case of plague?
Contact the local and state public health departments
What is treatment for plague?
What is used as mass prophylaxis in bioterrorism setting?
Treatment: streptomycin, gentamicin
Mass prophylaxis: doxycycline, ciprofloxacin