Miscellaneous Bacteria Flashcards
What are obligate intracellular bacteria?
Bacteria that can grow and multiply only in eukaryotic cells, not as free-living organisms
Rickettsiaceae are a family of [size, Gram stain, shape, location]
Rickettsiaceae are a family of small Gram-negative coccobacilli that are obligate intracellular
Note: Rickettsiaceae do not take up gram stain well; they are visualized with Giesma stain
How are Rickettsiaceae often transmitted?
Insect vectors
What are the medically important genera within Rickettsiaceae?
- Rickettsia rickettsii
- Coxiella burnetii
- Ehrlichia chaffeensis
- Anaplasma phagocytophilum
Rickettsia rickettsii are [size, Gram stain, shape, location]
Small Gram-negative coccobacilli that are obligate intracellular
(Does not visualize well with gram stain; use Giesma stain)
What does Rickettsia rickettsii cause?
Where is this most common?
How is it acquired?
What is the clinical presentation?
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Most common in central and mid-Atlantic states
Acquired through tick bites
Triad of fever, rash, and headache
What are the other medically important Rickettsia?
(Besides Rickettsia rickettsii)
- Rickettsia typhi (murine typhus)
- Rickettsia tsutsugamushi (scrub typhus)
- Rickettsia prowazekii (epidemic typhus)
- Rickettsia akari (rickettsialpox)
Coxiella burnetii are [size, Gram stain, shape, location]
Small Gram-negative coccobacilli that are obligate intracellular
(Note: Does not take up gram stain well, can also be considered “gram indeterminant”)
What does Coxiella burnetii cause?
What is the clinical presentation?
Which animal is it found in?
How is it spread to humans?
Q fever
Presents as fever, pulmonary infiltrates, and NO rash
Harborbed by sheep, especially placenta and fetal membranes
Spread by aerosols during the birth of lambs or other animals and through ingestion of unpasteurized milk
Ehrlichia chaffeensis are [size, Gram stain, shape, location]
Small Gram-negative coccobacilli that are obligate intracellular
What does Ehrlichia chaffeensis cause?
How is it transmitted?
What cells does it infect?
What is the clinical presentation?
Ehrlichiosis
Transmitted by ticks
Infects monocytes and macrophages
Fever, headaches, myalgia, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia
Anaplasma phagocytophilum are [size, Gram stain, shape, location]
Small Gram-negative coccobacilli that are obligate intracellular
What does Anaplasma phagocytophilum cause?
How is it transmitted?
What cells does it infect?
What is the clinical presentation?
Anaplasmosis
Transmitted by ticks
Infects neutrophils
Fever, headaches, myalgias, thrombocytopenia, leukpoenia
Bartonella spp. are [size, Gram stain, shape, location]
Bartonella spp. are tiny Gram-negative bacilli that are NOT obligate intracellular
Note: Bartonella stain poorly with gram stain; visualize w/ giemsa stain)
Which cells do Bartonella spp. invade?
Endothelial cells
Erythrocytes
Bartonella henselae are [size, Gram stain, shape, location]
Bartonella henselae are tiny Gram-negative bacilli that are NOT obligate intracellular
What does Bartonella henselae infection cause?
- Bacillary angiomatosis (immunocompromised individuals, especially with AIDS)
- Cat scratch disease (enlargement of one or more lymph nodes following a cat scratch or bit)
Bartonella quintana are [size, Gram stain, shape, location]
Bartonella quintana are tiny Gram-negative bacilli that are NOT obligate intracellular
What does Bartonella quintana infection cause?
What is it transmitted by?
Who is usually effected?
Bacillary angiomatosis (immunocompromised individuals, especially those with AIDS)
Endocarditis
Transmitted by lice
Homeless individuals
Chlamydia are [location]
Chlymadia are obligate intracellular
What is the life cycle of Chlamydia spp.?
Extracellular elementary body (EB) which is metabolically inactive
Intracellular reticular body (RB) which is metabolically active
Which Chlamydia bacteria are medically important?
Chlymadia trachomatis
Chlymadia pneumoniae
Chlymadia psittaci
What type of disease does Chlamydia trachomatis cause?
Sexually transmitted diseases
What do Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia psittaci cause?
Pneumonia
Mycoplasma are [location]
Mycoplasma are NOT obligate intracellular
Do Mycoplasma Gram stain? Why?
Mycoplasma do not Gram-stain because they lack cell walls
What is unique about Mycoplasma?
Smallest organisms that can be free-living in nature and self replicating but require a media supplemented with essential components
Mycoplasma plasma membranes contain sterols which are obtained from eukaryotic cells or growth media
No cell walls so do not Gram stain
What do Mycoplasma have in their plasma membranes that other bacteria lack?
Sterols (obtained from eukaryotic cells or growth media)
What disease does Mycoplasma pneumoniae cause?
How?
Community-acquired pneumonia (“Walking pneumonia”); Symptoms are often less severe than a chest x-ray might suggest
Tightly adheres to cilia and microvilli on the surface of the bronchial epithelium
What are spirochetes?
Neither rods nor cocci but bacteria with a characteristic spiral shape
Borrelia spp. are [shape]
Borrelia spp. are spirochetes
Which species of Borrelia spp. are medically important?
Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia recurrentis
Borrelia burgdorferi are [shape, transmission, disease caused]
Borrelia burgdorferi are spirochetes transmitted to humans through contact with ticks and cause Lyme disease
Which bacteria causes Lyme disease?
What is the classic presentation of Lyme disease?
Borrelia burgdorferi
Erythema migrans: annular rash with central clearance at site of tick bite
Occurs in three stages and may present with rash, fevers, arthralgias/arthritis, arrhythmias, or neurologic findings
Which bacteria causes relapsing fever?
How is it transmitted to humans?
Borrelia recurrentis
Ticks and lice
Treponema pallidum are [shape, disease caused]
Treponema pallidum are spirochetes that cause syphilis
Which bacteria causes syphilis?
What are the stages of syphilis?
Treponema pallidum
- Primary syphilis: chancre (ulcerative lesion on genitalia)
- Secondary sphilis: rash usually on soles and palms
- Tertiary syphilis: may occur months to years later and has variety of manifestations
What are the medically important subspecies of Treponema pallidum?
Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue causes yaws
Treponema pallidum subspecies endemicum causes bejel
Treponema pallidum subspecies carateum causes pinta
- Spirochetes
- Tropical climates
- Not sexually transmitted
- Manifest as infectious skin lesions
Leptospira interrogans is [metabolic, shape]
Leptospira interrogans is an aerobic spirochete
In which animal species does Leptospira interrogans causes infections?
How is Leptospira interrogans transmitted to humans?
Rats, cattle, dogs
Transmitted to humans after exposure to water contaminated with animal urine (through ingestion, cuts in skin, exposure of conjunctiva)
What is the clinical presentation of Leptospira interrogans?
Phase 1
- Fever, chills, headache, muscle pains as organism disseminates through bloodstream
- Symptoms resolve after a week, coincident with clearance of bacteria from bloodstream
Phase 2
- 1-3 days after resolution of phase 1
- recurrence of symptoms (meningitis in 15% of patients)
Tetracycline, penicillin, amoxicillin, ampicillin, and erythromycin used to treat
Which agents are most concerning for biological warfare?
Why?
Category A Bioterrorism Agents
- Yersinia pestis
- Bacillus anthracis
- Francisella tularensis
- Clostridium botulinum (toxin)
- Hemorrhagic fever viruses
- Smallpox
These bacteria form spores or are contagious via aerosol inhalation (easily transmissible)
They can also cause very severe infections
Which bacteria have reservoirs in farm animals?
Brucella spp.
EHEC - Enterohemorrhagic E. coli
- Salmonella enterica* serovar enteritidis
- Bacillus anthracis*
- Coxiella burnetii*
- Leptospira interrogans*
Which bacteria have reservoirs in wild animals?
(Wild FYRe)
- Francisella tularensis*
- Yersinia pestis*
- Rickettsia* spp.
Symptomatically, how would you distinguish between a fever caused by Rickettsia rickettsii and one caused by Coxiella brunetti?
A fever caused by Rickettsia rickettsii is likely to have a rash
A fever caused by Coxiella burnettii will not have a rash