Respiratory Bacterial Zoonoses: Plague, Brucellosis, and Q-fever

Question 1

What is the bug that causes plague?

What does it look like?

Answer 1

Yersinia pestis

“Chubby safety pin”; bipolar staining gram negative rods with inclusion bodies

Question 2

How is plague transmitted?

Where in the US is plague found?

Answer 2

Fleas (reservoir are ground rodents) = bubonic form. Cats or people = pneumonic form

Found anywhere WEST of the MI river, but especially NM and Rocky Mtn states

Question 3

What is a bubo?

Answer 3

Large, black (from subQ hemorrhage), swollen, painful lymph node, usually in the groin and axillary area and on one side.

Question 4

Is plague contagious?

Answer 4

Bubonic form, no. Pneumonic form, YES.

Question 5

What is the VF important to plague?

Answer 5

F1 protein antigen capsule (basis of its serological test)

Question 6

What are 3 types of plague, based on symptoms?

Answer 6

1) Bubonic
2) Septicemic
3) Pneumonic

Question 7

What is Brucellosis?

Answer 7

“Undulant fever”, small G- aerobic coccobacillus, facultative intracellular parasite of the liver, spleen, and bone marrow (RES)

Question 8

What does undulant fever mean?

Answer 8

Chronic infection of relapsing fever (worsens throughout the day, then goes away with night sweats)

Question 9

Symptoms of brucellosis?

Answer 9

weakness, back ache, weight loss, hepatitis, endocarditis, granulomas

Mimic TB symptoms/signs!

Question 10

How does one get infected by Brucellosis?

Is it humanly transmitted?

Answer 10

Consumption of raw milk/cheese and via contact with infected livestock (suspect farmers, vets, slaughterhouse workers, and immigrants)

**no human to human transmission

Question 11

How does one diagnose brucellosis?

Answer 11

Serology

Question 12

What is coxiella burnettii?

Answer 12

Q fever, from an obligate intracellular parasite bacteria

Question 13

How does one get Q fever?

Answer 13

Aerosol, handling animal viscera (amniotic fluid)