Microbiology Midterm Flashcards
Types of skin and soft tissue damage that can occur with infection
Exogenous, endogenous or toxin-mediated
Most soft tissue and exogenous skin infections are due to what?
Staph A or Strep pyogenes (Group A Strep)
Similarities between strep A and Staph A
- Both are transient skin flora
- They are both spreading infections
- Both form abscesses
- Both cause necrotizing fasciitis
What do we mean by spreading infection?
- Pyoderma (produces pus)
- Impetigo - Spreading infection of the epidermis
- Erysipelas
- Cellulitis - Subcutaneous, more serious
What types of necrotizing infections do they cause?
Fasciitis, gas gangrene (myonecrosis)
Streptococci in general are recognized how?
- Gram positive
- Chains
- Catalase negative (cannot convert H2O2)
- Have capsules
- Obligate extracellular bacteria, meaning they avoid uptake by neutrophils and have many anti-phagocytic virulence factors
Main virulence factor for strep
M protein, which binds the epidermis and is antiphagocytic
What kind of hemolytic pattern do we see in Strep A?
Beta
How do we know we are working with Strep A?
- Beta hemolytic
- PYR positive
- Sensitive to Bacitracin
What kind of capsule does Strep A have?
Hyaluronic acid capsule, which is identical to normal tissue and is anti-phagocytic
What are the key extracellular virulence factors for strep A?
- Makes pyogenic exotoxins
- Makes streptolysin 0 which is hemolytic
- Makes DNAases to evade neutrophil traps
- Makes streptokinase to lyse blood clots
- Makes C5a peptidase to stop attraction of PMNs
What do pyrogenic exotoxins do?
superantigens stimulate cytokines storm, nonspecifically activate T cells.
These are encoded by bacteriophages and can cause scarlet fever and toxic shock syndrome
Two types of clinical presentations of Strep A?
Suppurative vs. Non suppurative
Suppurative presentations of Strep A?
Pharyngitis (Can lead to Scarlet Fever, a super antigen)
Toxic Shock-like syndrome
Nonsupprative presentations of Strep A?
Rheumatic fever
Acute glomerulonephritis
Both of these diseases happen after the bug is gone, known as “post suppurative sequelae”
Rheumatic fever
Ab to M type from throat infection attack heart/body, requires long term abx to prevent reinfection
Acute glomerulonephritis
antigen-Ab complexes deposited in glomeruli s/p throat or skin infection
How do we treat Strep A?
PCN G
Cephalosporins
How do we treat Strep A if the patient also has Staph A?
PCNase resistant antibiotic
What pediatric syndrome is associated with Strep A?
PANDAS
pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder assoicated with group A Strep
How many more or less strains are there of staph A than strep A?
90 of Strep A
30 Staph A
How do we recognize staph A?
- Beta hemolytic
- Catalase positive
- Coagulase positive
- Gram positive cocci
Staph A characteristics
Facultative anaerobe
Forms clusters
Common in hospitals
Pus infections
Besides cellulitis and impetigo which we also see in Strep A, what skin infections do we see in Staph A?
Furuncles
Carbuncles
Mastitis
Styes
What type of invasive infections do we see with Staph A?
Deep lesions
Bacteremia
Septic Shock
What type of deep lesions do we see with staph A?
Osteomyelitis
Septic Arthritis
Meningitis
PNA
What type of bacteremias do we see with Staph A?
Endocarditis
Pyelonephritis
Septicemia
(Meningitis and PNA technically fall into this as well)
How can we kill Staph A with our own defense mechanisms?
Opsonophagocytosis. It is not susceptible to lysis by MAC complex or the classical pathway
Staph A virulence factors
Pa Likes His Ribs Cooked 4 times
Protein A Leukocidin Ribotechoic Acid Catalase Coagulase Capsule Cytotoxins Hyaluronidase
Protein A?
linked to peptidoglycan, binds Fc end of Ab, avoids uptake by neutrophils
Catalase
defense against phagocytes- breaks down H2O2 during oxidative burst