Microbiology - Greenblatt - Vectored Bacterial Infections of the Blood Flashcards
How do you stain for Borrelia burgdorferi?
Stainable with giemsa, silver stain, IF, visible by standard microscopy
T/F: Asymptomatic clearance of Borrelia burgdorferi is possible.
True
Lyme arthritis is predisposed in what genotypes?
Lyme arthritis predisposed by HLA-DR4 and HLA-DR2 genotypes.
When would you see a high fever in Lyme disease?
Coinfection with Erlichia or Babesiosa
What factor most complicates the development of a Lyme vaccine?
Antibodies raised are not protective against a future infection
T/F: Early Lyme improves rapidly with antibiotics.
True
Treatment of Lyme Disease with Doxycycline can cause what flu-like reaction?
Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction
Successful treatment of any spirochete infection may cause Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction (that and response to treatment may be needed to empirically diagnose Lyme)
What is the pathogen involved in louse-borne relapsing fever?
Pathogen: B. recurrentis
Vector: Pediculus corporis
Reservoir: humans
What is the pathogen involved in tick-borne relapsing fever?
Pathogens: B. hermsii, B. turicatae, B. parkeri, B. duttonii, others
Vectors: soft-bodied ticks Ornithodoros spp
Reservoirs: many mammals and reptiles
What characteristic of spirochete infections is responsible for the relapsing quality or relapsing fever?
Spirochetes access vasculature, disseminate to spleen, bone marrow, liver, lungs, kidneys, CNS
A strong IL10 response and neutralizing antibodies clear sepsis → fever
Spirochetes vary their surface antigens in response to immune selection, when a new pool predominates, disease resumes
Fevered episodes repeat, lower fever and increasingly long breaks between as immune response improves
Which relapsing fever causes complications of pregnancy?
Tick-borne
How would you culture the organisms responsible for relapsing fever?
Peripheral blood smear: spirochetes visible by microscopy with Wright or Giemsa stain if blood taken during febrile period
Can also visualize bacteria w/ IF, darkfield, wet mounts, silver-stained biopsies
Organism can be cultured from blood in special liquid medium, takes 2-6wks
PCR assay available
ELISA is available, better one in the pipeline
What is the treatment for relapsing fever?
Tetracycline, doxycycline, erythromycin, penicillin G used in adults
Erythromycin in children and pregnant/nursing women
IV penicillin or ceftriaxone for meningitis
Louse-borne takes one dose, tick-borne treat for 7-10 days
Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction
How are the “rickettsial” bugs similar to Borrelia?
Arthropod vectors
Mammalian reservoirs
Tetracycline sensitivity
UNLIKE Borrelia: intracellular replication (**must grow in tissue culture) small cocci to short rods
How do most rickettsia infect humans?
By accident (accidental host)
**Exception is epidemic typhus
What are the virulence factors for RMSF?
OmpA&B: adhesion
Type 4 secretion system: entry
Phospholipase A2: escape from endosome
ActA: actin-based cell-cell spread
How does the rash form in RMSF?
Begins on extremities, spreads to trunk;
caused by leakage from damaged blood vessels
What is the treatment for RMSF?
Doxy
Chloramphenicol for pregnant and allergic patients
How does epidemic typhus present?
Abrupt-onset fever, chills
Generalized lymphadenopathy
Abrupt-onset unremitting Headache
Macular, maculopapular, or petechial rash occurs on days 4-7
May begin on the axilla and trunk and spread peripherally. (RMSF rash begins on extremities and spreads centrally)
CNS symptoms (meningoencephalitis) may include dullness, delerium, coma
What is Brill-Zinsser Disease?
Recrudescent Typhus
Mechansims of latency and reactivation are unknown
Less severe than initial course
Risk factors include malnutrition and improper or incomplete antibiotic therapy
May be seen in US among geriatric patients who had typhus during WWII
Human Monocytic Erlychiosis is caused by:
HME is caused by Ehrlichia chaffeensis.
Tiny Gram (-) Obligate intracellular Resemble Rickettsia Replicate in cytoplasm of white cells Form clusters called morulae
Why is erlichiosis dangerous for the elderly or immunocompromised?
Elderly or immunocompromised patients are at increased risk for
severe ehrlichiosis; may develop meningitis or disseminated intravascular coagulation
T/F: Most cases of erlichiosis resolve on their own and are asymptomatic.
True
Is chloramphenicol effective at treating HME?
No; use doxy
same with Anaplasmosis