Normal Flora, Symbiotic Relationships And Zoonoses

Question 1

What are the prenatal factors affecting the microbiome?

Answer 1

Placenta

Question 2

What are the neonatal factors affecting the microbiome?

Answer 2

• mode of delivery

- gestational age

Question 3

What are the postnatal factors affecting the microbiome?

Answer 3

• feeding ie. breast milk vs formula
• geographical location
• family members
• host interactions
• maternal diet
• weaning, what the kid puts in its mouth

Question 4

What percentage of human cells are microflora?

Answer 4

90%

Question 5

Where do most microflora reside?

Answer 5

In your gut

Question 6

What are anaerobes?

Answer 6

Bacteria that grow without air, they are smelly bugs

Question 7

What are lactobacillus responsible for in the vagina?

Answer 7

Keeping the pH low

Question 8

What is C.diff?

Answer 8

Clostridium difficile

Question 9

Where is C.diff found?

Answer 9

In the gut as normal flora, when it is allowed to overgrow it creates toxins that cause inflammation in the gut

Question 10

What is the only way to deal with C.diff

Answer 10

A faecal transplant

Question 11

What are some clinical conditions caused by an imbalance of normal flora?

Answer 11

• pharyngitis, dental caries
• abscesses
• sepsis
• endocarditis
• pneumonia
• gastrointestinal, peritonitis
• urogenital infections

Question 12

What are the 3 types of symbiotic relationships?

Answer 12

• mutualism
• commensalism
• parasitism

Question 13

What is mutualism?

Answer 13

Where both partners benefit eg. E.coli produces vitamin K in the gut which is required for clotting

Question 14

What is commensalism?

Answer 14

Where one member benefits while the other is largely unaffected ie normal flora in the human body

Question 15

What is parasitism?

Answer 15

• Where the organism benefits at the expense of the host
• The parasite obtains nutrients from the host which is harmed in some way
• never normal flora

Question 16

What are zoonotic diseases?

Answer 16

Diseases caused by infections that spread between animals and people

Question 17

What are the different ways of transmission of zoonotic diseases?

Answer 17

• airborne
• direct contact with animals ie. bites
• food borne ie. consuming infected meat or milk
• close proximity to animals ie. faecal oral transfer, animal body fluid in cuts

Question 18

What percentage of human illness is zoonotic in origin?

Answer 18

60%