Nocardia

Question 1

Nocardia are gram positive rods that stain weak acid fast meaning..

Answer 1

it resist decolorization with weak acid solutions because of medium length chains of mycolic acid in the cell wall

Question 2

how does nocardia assemble fungi/mold?

Answer 2

nocardia has filaments that assemble hyphae

Question 3

What are aerial hyphae

Answer 3

“branches” the portude upward drom the surface of the colony

Question 4

what is mycolic acid?

Answer 4

long fatty acids found in the cell wall

Question 5

presence of __ and __ are unique to nocardia

Answer 5

1. aerial hyphae

2. acid-fastness

Question 6

List of nocardia clinical disease

Answer 6

1. bronchopulmonary disease- pulmonary infection w/ necrosis, abscess, disseminate to skin and CNS
2. mycetoma- large granulomas fibrosis & necrosis progresive of tissue and bones
3. Lymphocutaneous disease- chronic granuloma formation, ulcer formation from cutaneous site
4. Cellulitis and subcuteneous abscess- granulomatous ulcer formation surrounding erythema (redding swollen skin)
5. brain abscess- chronic infection with fever, slowly developing abscess

Question 7

virulence factors of nocardia

Answer 7

1. cord factor- avoids phagocytic clearing
2. superoxide dismutase and catalase- makes oxidative burst ineffective that releases toxic oxygen metabolites to attack bacteria

Question 8

3 way nocardia can survive and replicate microphages

Answer 8

1. preventing fusion of phagosomes
2. preventing acidifiation of phagosome
   3 avoid acid phophatase

Question 9

how long does a person with nocardia have to be treated?

Answer 9

6 for immunocompetent
12 mo for immunocompromised
* due to its slow growth