Sketchy Pharm: Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus cereus Flashcards
What kind of wound do Bacillus anthracis typically present with?
A black eschar (a dark, ring-shaped scab)
Think of the Vikings who are dancing in the black ring of the former fire pit.
Looking at Bacillus under a microscope, what might you see?
Gram-positive rods in a chain
Think of the rod-shaped sails on the horizon beneath the violet mountains.
Unique feature: Bacillus anthracis are covered by ________________.
a PROTEIN capsule made of poly-d-glutamate
Think of the Vikings’ armor made of leather –a proteinaceous material – with lots of D-shaped buckles.
Bacillus are obligate _____________.
aerobes (just like the Viking with the bellows: the fire needs air just like the bacteria need O2)
Like Clostridia, Bacillus are _____________.
spore-forming (think of the walnuts roasting on the fire)
Which Bacillus toxin raises cAMP?
The edema factor toxin (think of the cAMP of tents behind the guy with the EF shield)
What is LF?
Lethal factor –a protease toxin that cleaves MAP kinase and causes the black eschar
(Think of the Viking with the LF shield burning the MAP.)
What is wool sorter’s disease?
A condition in which people who handle wool will inhale anthrax particles and get pulmonary hemorrhage; this presents with a widened mediastinum
(Think of the sheep and the lung-shaped axe that is bleeding; also, behind it the mast of the ship is widened, just like how mediastinitis presents on x-ray.)
What two drugs are best at treating Bacillus?
Fluoroquinolones and tetracycline
Think of the ship with the FLOWER and the CYCLE wheel.
What do you need to know about B. cereus?
Like, B. anthracis, it is an obligate aerobe that forms spores. It is known for causing food poisoning in reheated rice.
(Think of the Viking vomiting after reheating his rice over the fire.)
