Myobacterium I Flashcards
Thin, rod shaped (0.2 to 0.4 x 10 um)
-non-motile
Myobacterium
What is the aerobic classification of myobacterium?
Obligate anaerobes
Cell wall contains N-glucolylmuramic acid (instead of N-acetylmuramic acid) and has a very high lipid content
Myobacterium
Has a slow growing doubling time. Anywhere from 30 h to 4-8 weeks
Myobacterium
What are the four myobacterial-specific features of the myobacterial outer wall?
- ) Acyl lipids
- ) Mycolate
- ) Arabinogalactan
- ) Lipoarabinomannan (LAM)
The lipid-rich myobacterial wall is highly impermeable. It shows up in
Acid fast stain
Effective therapeutic target for anti-TBs
Lipid-rich wall
What are the two faces of myobacterium on Gram stain sputum?
Ghosts (complete lack of staining) and Beaded GPR
Binding of Carbol Fuchsin to mycolic acid is resistant to destrain by acid-alcohol; tissue and non-acid-fast organisms are counterstained with
Methylene blue
Fluorochromes auramine O (green) and auramine-Rhodamine (orange) bind
Mycolic acid
What is more sensitive fluorochrome stain or ZN stain?
Fluorochrome stain
M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. bovis BCG, M. africanum, M. microti, and M. canettii make up the
Mtb complex
All components of the complex cause TB so species level ID is not necessary for routine clinical purposes
Mtb complex
What type of colonies does the Mtb complex form?
Non-pigmented colonies
1/3 of the world’s population is infected
-8 million new cases and 2.9 million deaths annually in the world
Mtb disease
TB is spread person to person through the air via
Droplet nuclei
Mtb may be expelled when an infectious person:
Coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings
Occurs when another person inhales droplet nuclei and the bacilli reach the alveoli of the lungs
Mtb transmission
Approximately 5% of Mtb infected patients develop transmissable
Pulmonary disease
Chronic clinical course with delays in diagnosis and treatment contribute to
Mtb transmission
M. bovis BCG is less transmissible than
M. tuberculosis
Droplet nuclei containing tubercle bacilli are inhaled, enter the lungs, and travel to
Alveoli
Then, tubercle bacilli multiply in
Alveolar macrophages
Within 2 to 8 weeks, cell mediated immunity develops and activated macrophages surround the tubercle bacilli; these cells form a
-Keeps the bacilli contained and under control
Barrier Shell (granuloma)
The presence of slender acid-fast positive, slightly curved and beaded bacilli, is suggestive of
Myobacteria
In most individuals, TB infection remains latent due to
Immunity (delayed type hypersensitivity)
Can be demonstrated by positive interferon-γ release assay or tuberculin skin test
DTH
The tuberculin skin test (TST) is also known as the
Mantoux test
The antigenic reagent of the Mantoux test is tuberculin (Mtb extract) or a
Purified Protein Derivative (PPD) of Mtb
In the PPD test, at 48-72 hours, we measure the ring of
Induration (not redness)
A PPD test > 15mm: considered positive for
Any persons
A PPD test > 5 mm: considered positive for
High risk populations
Like TSTs, these measure a person’s immune reactivity to Mtb
Interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs)
Blood T-lymphocytes from most persons that have been infected with Mtb will release
Interferon-γ (IFN-γ)
Whole blood alone: provides baseline level of
IFN-γ
Whole blood plus Mtb peptides: measures stimulated IFN-γ release in response to
Recombinant specific Mtb antigens
Whole blood plus a non-specific activator of WBCs (mitogen): demonstrates that WBCs are present and capable of secreting
IFN-γ
Performing a second diagnostic test when the initial test is negative is a strategy to increase
Sensitivity
Performing a second diagnostic test when the initial test is negative is a strategy to increase sensitivity, but this may reduce
Specificity
Performing a confirmatory test following an initial positive result is based upon both the evidence that
False positives are common