Microbiology: chapter 19 infectious diseases of Nervous system

Question 1

Neisseria meningitidis

Answer 1

(gram negative):
-diplococci; meningococcus.
-Endotoxin: vascular damage and hemorrhage
-passed in close quarters
-a few cases can lead to death in a few hours
-vaccine for young adults (high carriage rate)

Question 2

Streptococcus pneumoniae

Answer 2

-causes pneumonia
-more common in people with reduced health
-resistance to some antibiotics
-vaccine

Question 3

Haemophilus influenzae

Answer 3

-one most severe forms of meningitis
-childhood vaccine
-only reservoirs are humans

Question 4

Listeria monocytogenes

Answer 4

-Gram positive rod, intracellular (likes to get inside)
-common in soil and water

-can be symptomless in adults; can cause meningitis

-can cause spontaneous abortion or stillbirth, neonatal meningitisis

-grows well in cold

Question 5

Cryptococcus neoformans

Answer 5

-yeast-like fungus
-meningitis in immunocompromised; occasionally others
-commonly carried in birds

Question 6

Coccidioides

Answer 6

-true infection-not opportunistic
-mild respiratory symptoms to meningitis
-major outbreaks after earthquakes

Question 7

Amoebic Meningoencephalitis

Answer 7

-found in recreational water
-symptomatic disease is rare

Question 8

Naegleria fowleri

Answer 8

-primary amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM)
-(exposure while swimming in water)

Question 9

Acanthamoeba

Answer 9

-Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE)
-(direct contact)

Question 10

Arboviral encephalitis

Answer 10

-arthropod-borne virus
-mosquitos; summer months
-typically chills, headache, fever
-example: (West Nile Virus)

Question 11

Toxoplasma gondii

Answer 11

-spore-forming protozoan
-infection of fetus and severely IC often fatal
-commonly seen in cats
-can be taken up by animals and people
-concerned about this in pregnant women- can cause infection of fetus
-women can get this by changing a litter box

Question 12

prion

Answer 12

abnormally folded protein (no AA change)

Question 13

prions can cause…

Answer 13

transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)

Question 14

Polio (poliomyelitis):

Answer 14

-ingestion: virus multiplies in throat and small intestine
-virus can penetrate CNS and infect nerve cells
-recovery 6-7 months

Question 15

the two polio vaccines are…

Answer 15

salk and sabin vaccine

Question 16

salk vaccine

Answer 16

(use this one in the U.S.)
- inactivated polio vaccine
-multiple injections

Question 17

Sabin vaccine

Answer 17

-live attenuated, oral
-cheaper and easier to administer
-excellent life-long immunity (from one dose)

Question 18

Tetanus (clostridium tetani):

Answer 18

Gram positive- obligate anaerobe
-common in soil
-releases a potent neurotoxin tetanospasmin (exotoxin)
-death due to spasms in the respiratory muscles

Question 19

Botulism

Answer 19

-Gram positive-obligate anaerobe
-forms endospores
-common in soil
-potent exotoxin (3 types
-food posioning
-infant botulism: associated with honey
-wound botulism: similar to gangrene

Question 20

African Sleeping Sickness

Answer 20

-Cause by Trypanosoma brucei
-spread by tsetse fly
-envades immune response with antigenic shift
-months to years for symptoms

Trypanosoma brucei gambiense
-humans
-chronic

T. brucei rhodesiense
-humans & livestock
-acute

Question 21

Treatment of African Sleeping Sickness

Answer 21

-Suramin & pentamidine
-Melarsoprol
-Eflornithine

Question 22

Suramin & Pentamidine:

Answer 22

useless after CNS involvement

Question 23

Melarsoprol:

Answer 23

highly toxic, kills 1-5%

Question 24

Eflornithine:

Answer 24

blocks an essential parasite enzyme in gambinese
-series of injections-costly