MICROBIOLOGY - bacti, fungi, parasites (IAS46-49, 53) Flashcards
Rank: bacteria, prions, viruses, protozoa, parasites, fungi in terms of descending size
parasites > protozoa > fungi > bacteria > viruses > prions
Reservoir of pathogen meaning?
Habitat of a microorganism for their growth
Port of exit of pathogens in organisms?
Feces, secretions
Where do:
cytosolic
intravesicular
extracellular pathogens (and toxins) invade respectively
Any cell
Macrophages
B cells
Define microbial virulence - what are the characteristics of a virulent organism
Capacity of microbe to cause disease in host
characteristics: low infective dose, high attack rate, high fatality rate
Define virulence factors
facilitate microbial attachment, invasion, multiplication or host defence evasion
3 methods of pathogenic mechanisms? Elaborate on their mechanisms
Direct cytolysis - due to intracellular replication in bacteria or toxin secretion (no of bacteria plateaus eventually)
Immunopathological damage - immune system damages hosts themselves due to molecular mimicry or upregulated inflammation
oncogenesis - integration of viral genome into host chromosome (eg EBV, HBV) or due to chronic inflammation (H. pylori)
Koch’s postulate?
Microbe must be present in ALL disease cases
microbe must be isolated from diseased hosts and grown in culture
should cause disease when introduced to healthy organism
Microbe must be recovered from experimentally infected host
What is the bacterial cell wall made of? Its structure?
Outer wall in what kind of bacteria? What components does it have?
The LPS structure and its function?
Peptidoglycan - made of glucan chains of alternating NAG and NAM, glucan chains joined by short peptides on NAM
Gram-negative bacteria, outer wall increases antibiotic resistance
components: lipoproteins, lipids, proteins, polysaccharides, lipopolysaccharides
LPS structure: O-polysaccharide, core polysaccharide and lipid A
O-polysaccharide as the antigen
Lipid A responsible for endotoxin properties - CD14 causes endocytosis, TLR4 responsible for triggering inflammation (Transcriptional response (cytokine expression & NLR-mediated canonical inflammasome activation)
What does the cytoplasm contain?
Plasmid function?
Cytoplasm - contains nucleoid + plasmids + ribosomes (30s and 50s subunits)
Plasmid may contain antibiotic resistant genes
Functions of capsule?
Functions of pili?
Structure of endospore? Its function and clinical implications?
Virulence factor for adhesion, antiphagocytic function
Virulence factor for adhesion, sex pili for exchange of plasmids
Outermost to innermost: exosporium > spore coat > spore cortex > inner membrane > spore cytoplasm containing nucleoid
Function: metabolically inert, dormant, highly resistant to heat/radiation/chemicals (so an issue with contamination/sterilization and disinfection/ infection control)
Bacteria phases of growth? Define generation time
1) lag phase - no change in bacti numbers as bacteria is adapting to new environment
2) log phase - bacteria numbers grow exponentially
3) stationary phase - bacteria numbers cannot increase because not enough nutrients/too much waste accumulated)
Generation time refers to the time needed for bacteria to double in amount in log phase, usually 30min
The 3 methods of genetic transformation of bacteria?
1) conjugation - exchange of plasmids between bacteria by sex pili’
2) transduction - bacteriophages infect bacteria, viral toxin gene incorporated into bacterial genome
3) Point mutation, changes antigenicity, virulence, transmissibility, antimicrobial susceptibility
Compare: intracellular bacteria and extracellular bacteria in terms of place of growth, growth opportunities, environmental conditions
Intracellular bacteria: grow within host cells, protected from host defense mechanisms
Extracellular bacteria: grow outside of host cells with more growth opportunities BUT harsher environmental conditions (eg have to face host immune system)
Gram stain process? Its principle? Appearance of gram +ve and gram -ve bacteria?
Crystal purple > iodine (forms complex with crystal violet) > alcohol (to decolorize Gram-negative bacteria) > safranin (counterstain to stain gram-negative bacteria)
Principle: the thin peptidoglycan wall of Gram-negative bacteria means these bacteria cannot retain the Gram stain well
+ve: purple, -ve: pink
How to classify bacti?
Check sid ppt for quick revision
Staphylococcus - catalase positive or negative? Oxygen requirement?
Positive, facultatively anaerobic
S. aureus - coagulase +ve or -ve? Colony morphology?
Describe the 2 types of coagulase test
Positive, golden-yellow colonies, in clusters
slide coagulase test - Binding to fibrinogen; the fibrin deposited on the surface inhibits phagocytosis
Tube coagulase test - Activation of prothrombin to initiate clot formation in plasma
The 4 aims of virulence factors in S. aureus? For each aim list the virulence factors and their specific functions
Evasion of host defence mechanisms:
catalase, coagulase prevent clot formation,
protein A: helps avoid opsonization and induces B cell death (it acts as toxin to trigger B cell apoptosis)
Adherence to host cell: teichoic acid
Invasion into host cells: protease, lipases, DNAses, hyaluronidase (breakdown of hyaluronic acid)
Toxins: a-hemolysin damages blood cell, toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSS toxin causes TSS)
Epidemiology of S. aureus (its reservoir) and mode of transmission?
Humans act as reservoir, transmitted by direct contact
2 categories of diseases that S. aureus can cause? Name examples for each category
Pyogenic -
skin, soft tissues (folliculitis, furuncles, carbuncles)
bone/joints: osteomyelitis, septic arthritis
infection of wounds, surgical sites,
pneumonia
toxin-mediated:
TSS (toxic shock syndrome)/scalded skin
food poisoning
S. aureus antibiotic resistance types?
90% methicillin resistant but MRSA (methicillin-resistant) occurs, VRSA also occurs, mostly penicillin resistant
S. epidermidis and S. saprophyticus - coagulase positive or negative, and what diseases they cause?
Coagulase negative
epidermidis: infections with prosthesis
saprophyticus: acute cystitis in young women
Strep and enterococci - catalase positive or negative? Oxygen requirement?
Strep pneumoniae - hemolysis pattern and the pattern’s appearance?
Strep pyogenes, agalactiae - hemolysis pattern and its appearance? Lancefield group?
Enterococci hemolysis pattern and appearance? Lancefield group?
NEGATIVE, facultatively anaerobic
pneumoniae: a-hemolytic with greenish discoloration of blood agar
pyogenes/agalactiae: b-hemolytic, complete clearing of agar
pyogenes: Lancefield A, agalactiae: Lancefield B
enterococci: gamma-hemolytic, lancefield D
Diseases S. pneumoniae can cause? what antibiotic can it be resistant to? Does it have capsule?
Pneumonia, meningitis, otitis media, sinusitis, septicemia, penicillin
HAS CAPSULE, THICK POLYSACCHARIDE CAPSULE
Diseases S. pyogenes and agalactiae can cause?
Pyogenes: skin/soft tissue disease, SCARLET FEVER, RHEUMATIC FEVER, TSS
agalactiae: neonatal sepsis
Diseases enterococci can cause? Name 3
what antibiotic is enterococci especially resistant to?
Catheter-associated urinary tract infection, biliary sepsis, polymicrobial intra-abdominal/biliary infections
cephalosporins
Does Bacillus form spores? oxygen requirement?
diseases bacillus species can cause? 2 species + 1 disease each
Spore forming, aerobic
bacillus anthracis: anthrax
bacillus cereus: food poisoning
Listeria monocytogenes diseases? How is the disease transmitted? Form spores?
neonatal meningitis, invasive listeriosis in immunocompromised adults or elderly (>60), foodborne (esp milk, chicken)
No spores
Corynebacterium diptheriae disease? Disease morphology?
Morphology of the bacteria? Any spores?
Diptheria, Sore throat with an adherent grey pseudo-membrane in the oropharynx (white throat)
V/L - shaped, “chinese character appearance” No spores
Nocardia morphology? Besides gram stain how can it be stained, and its stained appearance?
Disease it causes? Any spores?
Branched filaments, can be stained by modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain, pink color so acid fast
Nocardiosis (granulomatous infection) (pulmonary, CNS, cutaneous)
No spores
Mycobacterium: acid fast or not? Any spores?
Which disease can mycobacterium cause? and the species causing it?
What agar used to culture mycobacterium and Nocardia? What media is it?
Method of transmission?
Acid fast (pink stain), no spores
M. tuberculosis (tuberculosis)
Lowenstein-Jensen agar - selective media (has nutrients to promote growth of desired organism BUT antimicrobials to inhibit growth of others)
AIRBORNE
Clostridium oxygen requirement? Diseases some clostridium species can cause? Form spores?
ANAEROBIC, FORMS SPORES
C. botulinum: botulism
C. tetani: tetanus
C. perfringens: gas gangrene, intra-abdominal/pelvic sepsis, food poisoning
C. difficile: pseudomembranous colitis
Neisseria morphology and oxygen requirement? Oxidase + or -?
Diplococci, AEROBIC (most are aerobic unless specified), oxidase positive
Neisseria gonorrhoeae epidemiology? Reservoir and mode of transmission?
Humans as reservoir, transmission by sexual and mucosal contact
N. gonorrhoeae diseases? How to diagnose N. gonorrhoeae
What type of media (supportive/selective/enrichment/differential) is the agar used to test
Urethritis in men (PUS FORMED)
urogenital infection in women,
extragenital infection (pharyngitis, rectum proctitis)
disseminated infection (infective endocarditis, septic arthritis, meningitis)
GONOCOCCAL OPTHALMIA NEONATORUM (infection of newborn baby)
Thayer-Martin agar (selective media)
N. meningitidis epidemiology?
Human reservoir, transmission by respiratory droplets, direct mucosal contact
Virulence factors of N. meningitidis?
Polysaccharide capsule (for attachment) - ONLY IN N. meningitidis
Pili/fimbriae (attachment)
lipooligosaccharide - for endotoxin (trigger immune response) - CD14 for endocytosis, TLR4 for triggering transcriptional response (cytokine expression & NLR-mediated canonical inflammasome activation)
Diseases N. meningitidis can cause?
MENINGITIS, septicemia
◆ purulent conjunctivitis
◆ meningococcal pneumonia
◆ purpura fulminans