Microbiology Flashcards
Pathogen
Organism that causes or is capable of causing disease
Commensal
Organism which colonises the host but causes no disease in normal circumstances
Opportunist Pathogen
Microbe that only causes disease if host defences are compromised
Virulence/Pathogenicity
The degree to which a given organism is pathogenic
Asymptomatic carriage
When a pathogen is carried harmlessly at a tissue site where it causes no disease
What is the genus of Staphylococcus aureus
Staphylococcus
What is the Species of Staphylococcus aureus
Aureus
Coccus
bacterial cell that has the shape of a sphere
Rods (bacilli)
bacterial cell that has the shape of a rod
Coccus vs Rod
Bacteria may be either round (cocci) or rod-shaped (bacilli). Either shape may be gram-positive or gram-negative. A mixture of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria can occur in the same field.
Cocci morphology
Diplococcus- pair of coci
Chain of cocci
Cluster cocci
Rod morphology
Chain of rods
Filamentous/branching bacteria
Vibrio- curved rod
Spirochaete- spiral rod
Organelle of bacteria
Cell wall, outer membrane, inner membrane, pili, chromosome of circular double stranded DNA, Capsule (not all bacteria)
Gram +ive cell envelope, outermost to innermost
Capsule, peptidoglycan, lipoteichoic acid, cytoplasmic membrane
Gram -ive cell envelope, outermost to innermost
Capsule, LPS (endotoxin), outer membrane, lipoprotein, peptidoglycan, inner membrane
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS/ENDOTOXIN)
Made up of Lipid A, O antigen and terminal sugars, toxin
Gram staining process
Crystal violet (both purple), iodine, (both purple), decolourisation (+ive purple, -ive colourless), counter stain (+ive purple, -ive pink)
Gram staining results
Positive= purple
Negative= pink
Remember: Positive stain purPle, Negative stain piNk
Bacterial environment for growth
Temperature: <-800C to + 80C (1200C for spores)
pH: <4-9
Water/dessication: 2 hours – 3 months (>50 years for spores)
Light: UV
Average bacteria growth rate
double every 20 minutes
ENDOTOXIN
Component of the outer membrane of bacteria, eg lipopolysaccharide in Gram negative bacteria
EXOTOXIN
Secreted proteins of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria
Endotoxin vs Exotoxin- Composition
Composition: Exo=protein Endo=LPS
Endotoxin vs Exotoxin- Action
Action: Exo=specific Endo=non-specific