Rickettsias & Chlamydias Flashcards
Rickettsias (what they encompass)
-bacterial features
-Rickettsia & chlamydia
-Gram neg. bacteria
“between a virus and a bacteria”
How do Rickettsias differ from typical gram neg. bacteria?
- stain poorly w/ gram stain (better w/ Giemsa stain)
- replicate intracellular & w/ rare excpetions, not capable of free-living existence
- Cultured only in viable cells (depend on host cell for energy requirements)
What Rickettsias produce disease in
-how easily destroyed
- produce disease in vertebrates, many are zoonotic
- Most easily destroyed by heat and chemical dsinfectants (Q fever is specific exception)
Pathogenesis of Rickettsiales - 2 familes (Rickettsiaceae & Anaplasmataceae)
-what they have an affinity for
- Family Rickettsiaceae have affinity for lymphoreticular endothelial or leucocytic cells
- vascular damage such as serous effusion and haemorrhages (gives red rash)
- Family Anaplasmataceae: have affinity for RBC and are associated w/ damage to RBC
- result in anaemia and maybe haemoglobinuria
Natural reservoir of rickettsiales
- Arthropod in which they multiply
- usu w/out producing disease
- vertebrates become infected through bites of infected insects (lice or fleas) or arachnids (ticks and mites)
Typhus and typhus like disease
-several species
- e.g. Epidemic typhus (R. prowasekii)
- endemic typus (murine typhus) (R. typhi)
- Rocky mountain spotted fever - v. famous but not in australia (R. rickettsia)
- Qld tick typhus (R. australis) (aka ‘spotted fever’)
- scrub typhus (Orientia tsutsugamushi)
- often disease ass. w/ lots of bush/vegetation
Scrubs typhus (Orientia tsutsugamushi)
- called scrub typhus b.c. gnerally occurs after exposure to areas w/ secondary vegetation
- Transmitted to humans through bite of trombiculid mites (chiggers)
- found throughout mite’s body - highest no. occur in salivary glands
Mite Bites
- what lesion called
- features
- Incubation period of scrub typhus = 10-12 days
- flu-like symptoms initially, and swelling of lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy)
- Lesion (ESCHAR) often seen at site of chigger
- dull red rash may appear all over body
- mortality 6-35%
Qld Tick typhus (R. australis)
- Present in Australia and transmitted by tick in marsupial-tick cycle
- such as Kangaroos
Murine typhus (R. typhi)
-Present in Australia
-Usually a milder disease and not fatal
Mice to fleas to man (aerosolisation inhalation infected flea faeces)
Epidemic typhus (T. prowazekii)
- only infects humans
- transmission cycle = man-louse-man
- humans = reservoir
Rocky mountain spotted Fever (R. rickettsia)
- Present in N. America, NOT australia
- pathogen of man, but mild infection can occur in dogs
- tick transmitted w/ reservoirs in rabbits, rodents, opossums and dogs
Q fever (Coxiella burneti)
- Main reservoirs
- ways it can be transmitted
-Domestic animals (mainly ruminants) = main reservoir
-can be found in wild animals (i.e. ticks in kangaroos)
*zoonotic
Transmitted by;
-milk
-pregnant sheep
-in abbatoirs
-dust in yards
-animal workers
-farmers
Clinical signs of Q-fever in man
- An influenze-like disease w/ low mortality
- Usu. abrupt fever; severe and intractable headache, pneumonitis but no rash
- severe & chronic Q ever may result in complications such as myocarditis, pericarditis or endocaritis
Diagnosis of Q-fever
-Isolation of organims hazardous -> most common diagnosis is by detection of specific antibody in serum (first antibody = IgM; second antibody produced = IgG)