Path Labs - Exam 3 Flashcards
What type of bacteria usually has an offensive smell?
Gram negative, i.e. E coli
How is a gram stain performed?
- place matchead-sized drop of tap water on centre of slide
- Using wire loop, mic colony and water - spread drop widely
- dry and heat fix
STAIN:
- flood - crystal violet. Leave 30s
- Rinse with tap water
- flood - iodine 30s
- Rinse with tap water
- Decolorize with alcohol - several seconds
- Rinse
- Flood - dilute carbol fuchsin 30 s
- Rinse and blot dry
MICROSCOPE
11. place drop of oil over spot of light on slide and swing to 100x
What magnification is required, using the light microscope, in order to recognise bacterial morphology on the Gram stain?
1000
i.e. 100x lens - already 10x microscope
Why are mycoplasmas not seen in specimens which have been Gram stained?
They lack peptidoglycan cell wall that which the gram stain binds to.
What is the purpose of the streaking technique used when inoculating a specimen onto an agar plate?
It effectively dilutes the specimen so that individual colony morphologies can be studied and recognised.
Give the genus and species name of one commensal bacterium that you would expect to find in the oropharynx
Strep, staph, moraxella ssp.
Give the genus and species name of one commensal bacterium that you would expect to find on the hands
Staph. epidermis
Give the genus and species name of one commensal bacterium that you would expect to find in the bowel
faecalibacterium, Escherichia coli
Give the genus and species name of one commensal bacterium that you would expect to find in the vagina
lactobacilli
How may the growth of commensal bacteria confuse the process of identifying pathogens in a specimen collected from an ill patient.
contamination - these can interfere with the laboratory detection of pathogenic bacteria as both will grow on agar plates. Therefore use streaking technique to purify.
How can you tell the difference between Staph aureus and other types of staph?
S aureus is coagulase positive.
Other staph = ‘coagulase negative staph’
How can you tell the difference between Strep and Staph?
Catalase test
Staph - catalase positive (oxygen bubbles)
What two broad groups will be differentiated by the oxidase test?
Enterobacteriaceae (negative) vs other gram negative rods
Often used to distinguish between E and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (-ve)
How is a coagulase test performed?
Slide coagulase test. This is the rapid but less reliable form of the test. A portion of a staphylococccal colony is emulsified in a drop of plasma on a glass slide using a wooden toothpick, producing a milky suspension. If coagulase is present, the bacteria and fibrin will clump together within minutes, giving the suspension a granular appearance. The suspension remains homogenous if coagulase is not present.
Vs Tube Coagulase Test
How does the oxidase test work?
The test detects the presence of CYTOCHROME OXIDASE, an enzyme in the electron transport chain of some bacteria but not others. In the test, a colourless compound takes the place of oxygen in the real chemical reaction, and when this is reduced it becomes blue.
Most bacteria have an outer layer of polysaccharide. What are the 3 different layer types of polysaccharide?
a) glycocalyx – very thin layer
b) capsule – thicker layer
c) slime - Amorphous polysccharide extending into the environment
How is capsular serotyping done?
In a given species of encapsulated bacteria, there are generally a number of different antigenic types, determined by the type and the arrangement of the polysaccharides.
Specific antibodies raised in animals (eg. mice, rabbits) can be used in the serotyping of encapsulated bacteria by observing their agglutination when mixed with different antibodies (antisera).
How many capsular serotypes are there for Neisseria meningitidis?
13
How many capsular serotypes are there for Streptococcus pneumoniae?
90
How many capsular serotypes are there for Haemophilus influenzae?
6 encapsulated serotypes. Other non encapsulated serotypes exist
Name the serotypes for Neisseria meningitidis
A,B,C,D,E,W,X,Y,Z,H,I,K,L
Name the serotypes for Haemophilus influenzae
A-F
Which serotypes of N. meningitidis cause most disease in Australia?
B and C. B accounts for most cases, and C accounts for about 1/3.
Which groups of people in the Australian population are most predisposed to serious infection with S. pneumoniae?
- Adults over 65
- children under 2
- immunocompromised people
Which serogroup of H. influenzae is the most virulent, and why is it now an uncommon pathogen in Australia?
- type B (Hib)
- Vaccinations
What categories of vaccines are there?
- Live (Attenuated) vaccines
- Inactivated vaccines – contain one or a few components of the organism, i.e. polysaccharide. It cannot replicate.
a) conjugated
b) non-conjugated
What vaccines are available in Australia for Neisseria meningitidis?
- meningococcal B vaccine Bexsero® available on private market
- meningococcal ACWY vaccine available on prescription for travellers
- Meningococcal C vaccination is recommended as part of routine childhood immunization – given at 12m
What vaccines are available in Australia for Streptococcus pneumonia?
Pneumococcal vaccine is recommended as part of routine childhood immunisation, – given at 2m, 4m, 6m. Booster at 12m and 4 years.
What vaccines are available in Australia for Haemophilus influenzae?
Hib vaccination is recommended as part of routine childhood immunization – 2,4,6 months. Booster at 12 months.
What are some of the functions of bacterial capsules?
- permeability barrier
- adherence to surfaces
- carbohydrate reserve for subsequent metabolism
- resistance to phagocytosis by cells of the immune system
What are the two categories of phagocytosis attachment?
• unenhanced attachment - earlier, faster
- inefficient
Bacteria with PAMPS bind with pattern recognition receptor on phagocyte, which activates phagocyte causing phagocytosis.
• enhanced attachment - slightly delayed
- more efficient
Done through opsonisation. Bacteria are coated with opsonsins which makes phagocytosis.
In bacterial phagocytosis, antibodies or the C3b component of the complement system can act as opsonisers for enhanced attachment. What are the two different receptors for the IgG antibody and C3b?
- IgG antibody – the Fc receptor
- C3b – CR1 receptor
Why do asplenic patients have problems with bacteria with capsules?
The early immune response to bacterial capsules is opsonisation with C3b. These can then be phagocytized in the spleen. C3b production is also enhanced by IgM from splenic marginal zone B-cells.
Antibodies directed against capsular antigens occur later in the immune response, however asplenic patients may not survive this long.