Microbiology of animals Flashcards
What are commensals?
microorganisms routinely found on the bodies of most healthy individuals, they usually colonize the body without causing an infection
where do we find specifically the most bacteria in the human body?
the gastrointestinal tract and more specifically in the colon.
why is the body of an animal adequate for bacteria to colonize?
it provides a wet, warm and potentially nutritious environment
what are the factors that influence the richness and abundance of the microorganisms of an individual? (4)
- temperature
- pH
- nutrient supply
- immune system (genetic factor)
As the animal develops, various body surfaces become progressively colonized: the individual acquires its _________.
normal microbiome
Why can commensals be beneficial? (3)
- teach the immune system
- provide host with vitamins and metabolic pathways (gut)
- provide protection against new incoming microbial populations (occupy the territory)
Why can commensals be paratism?
some commensals can become pathogenic under specific conditions (and commensals of one species may cause infectious diseases in another)
What are Microbial parasites that are able to cause infection?
pathogens
What is a situation in which a microorganism is established. and growing in a host, causing damage?
infection
What is a damage or injury to the host that impairs host functions? examples?
disease
ex: infectious disease, autoimmune disease, cancer
What is the ability of a parasite to inflict DAMAGE to the host?
pathogenicity
What is a measure of pathogenicity?
virulence
What causes disease only in the absence of normal host resistance? the normal microbiome contains them.
opportunistic pathogen.
What are herbivores?
animals that consume mostly plants
What are carnivores?
animals that consume mostly meat
What are omnivores?
animals that consume both plants and meat
Phylogenic studies suggest that herbivory has evolved _______ in many different lineages.
independently
Herbivores live on plant material rich in what?
cellulose and other insoluble polysaccharides (lignin, hemicellulose and pectin)
animals lack which enzyme that is required to degrade cellulose?
cellulase
Which microorganisms are able to degrade cellulose and what does it allow? how do we call this?
- the ones present in the gastrointestinal tract
- it allows the host to get the nutrients
- this mechanism is called mutualism, symbiotic relationship
What are the 2 digestive strategies that have evolved in herbivorous animals? explain.
- foregut fermentation: fermentation chamber precedes the acidic stomach
- hindgut fermentation: uses cecum and/or large intestine as fermentation chambers
What is the structure of the gastrointestinal tract of herbivores?
first: foregut fermentation chamber
followed by acidic stomach
then small intestine
followed by the cecum and large intestine (colon)
cecum + large intestine= hindgut fermentation chambers
what are examples of foregut fermenters?
ruminants, colobine monkeys, macropod marsupials, hoatzin
what are examples of hindgut fermenters?
cecal animals (horse, bunny), primates, some rodents, some reptiles
in ruminant animals, what happens to the food ingested?
it is minimally chewed, swallowed and passes into the rumen (foregut fermentation chamber)
the rumen is an ____ environment.
anaerobic
how is the pH of the rumen maintained?
maintained by saliva which contains sodium bicarbonate and sodium phosphate
how is fermentation in the rumen mediated?
- mediated by cellulolytic microbes that hydrolyze cellulose to free glucose and cellobiose that are then available to all microorganisms for growth
- the sugars are the fermented producing volatile fatty acids (acetic, propionic, butyric), ch4 and CO2
- fatty acids pass through the rumen wall into the bloodstream and are utilized by the animal as its main energy source.
A large portion of the rumen’s microorganisms produce cellulase. True or false?
False, only a small portion
Methanogens produce ____ and are strict ____.
CH4, anaerobes
_____ used by methanogens is not available to the host. up to 10% of the energy value of the feed can be lost as ____.
acetate; CH4
What inhibits methanogenesis and what does it reduce?
A compound called Monensin and it’a added to feed to reduce production of CH4
What happens after several hours of microbial digestion for ruminants? (2)
- small portions of the rumen contents are regurgitated well chewed and then swallowed again.
- smaller food particles are collected by the reticulum and moved to the omasum, where excess water is collected, which thens goes to the stomach (abomasum) and from there, to the intestines
the mass of microbial cells are subjected to digestion and serves as a major source of ______ and _____.
amino acids; vitamins
For non-ruminant herbivores, where does fermentation occur? and what does it provide?
in the cecum
it provides organic acids
For non-ruminant herbivores, what happens to the microbial mass that grows on cellulose and other polysaccharides?
they are no digested, and are excreted