Spirochaetes

Question 1

List the 4 Genera of spirochete of Medical Importance.

Answer 1

4 Genera of Medical Importance.
1.SPIRILLUM
2. BORRELIA
3. LEPTOSPIRA.
4. TREPONEMA..

Question 2

General features of spirochetes

Answer 2

They are spiral bacteria.
•They are thin and actively motile.
•They are flexible and non-flagellated-except S. minus.
•They are unicellular
•They vary in length from 1-500u
•They are Gram-ve but stain poorly
•They stain better with Giemsa, Wright, Leishman, and silver impregnation technique.
•Their routine diagnosis is by Microscopy (DG) and serology.
•They are generally sensitive to Penicillin and Tetracycline.

Question 3

General Features of SPIRILLUM MINUS

Answer 3

SPIRILLUM MINUS.
•HAS TERMINAL FLAGELA AT BOTH ENDS AND DARTING MOVEMENT.
•IT IS RELATIVELY SHORT, 2-10U IN LENGTH;
•DIAGNOSIS: DG AND BY LEISHMAN STAIN. ALSO BY ANIMAL INNOCULATION.USING G/PIGS & WHITE RATS & MICE.
•SPECIMEN SHOULD COME FROM THE LOCAL LESION, GLAND PUNCTURE OR BLOOD.

Question 4

Clinical features of SPIRILLUM MINUS

Answer 4

CAUSES RAT-BITE FEVER (SODOKU)
•COMMON IN JAPAN AND SE COUNTRIES.
•SIMILAR ILLNESS FROM BITES BY CATS AND FERRETS.
•S/S: RELAPSING FEVER, LOCAL INFLAMMATION, REGIONAL LYMPHADENOPATHY;SIMILAR TO INFECTION BY STREPTOBACILLUS.MONILIFORMIS.(+ARTHRITIS)
•Rx:PEN & TETRACYCLINE.
•DD: BORRELIA INFECTION. NB; COMMON CAUSE OF BFP. rx.

Question 5

General features of BORRELIA

Answer 5

GENERAL FEATURES:
•G-VE BACTERIA, WITH LARGER & WIDER COILS THAN OTHER SPIROCHAETES; VARY BX 5-30U IN LENGTH BY 0.3-0.7u WIDE.
•SOME OF THEM OCCUR AS COMMENSALS IN HUMAN MUCOUS MEMBRANES.(e.g. B. refringens & B. gracillis on human genitalia).
•DIAGNOSIS: 1 MICROSCOPY.
2. CULTURE ON ARTIFICIAL MEDIA ENRICHED WITH SERUM/ASCITIC FLUID.
3. ANIMAL INOCULATION IN MICE OR YOUNG RATS.
4. INNOCULATE CHORIO-ALLANTOIC SAC OF CHICK EMBRYO. 5. CRUSSH INFECTED LICE/TICK ON SLIDE WITH A DROP OF SALINE/DW AND EXAMINE UNDER DG.

Question 6

Species of BORRELIA

Answer 6

SPECIES:
•1. B vincenti. Causes Vincent’s Angina.
•2. B. recurrentis)
•3. B. duttoni ) organisms of relapsing fever.

Question 7

Serology of BORRELIA

Answer 7

SEROLOGY
•CF Abs and Lytic Abs ARE PRODUCED BUT THESE ORGANISMS SHOW HIGH DEGREE OF MUTABILITY LIKE THE TRYPANOSOMES, THEREFORE THEY ARE OF LITTLE USE.

Question 8

Species of BORRELIA

Answer 8

SPECIES:
•1. B vincenti. Causes Vincent’s Angina.
•2. B. recurrentis)
•3. B. duttoni ) organisms of relapsing fever.

Question 9

What is the golden rule?

Answer 9

•All genital ulcers must be assumed to be syphilitic until proved otherwise.

Question 10

Diagnosis of syphillis

Answer 10

Patient’s history.
•2. Physical examination.
•3.Microscopy (DG, silver staining, fluorescent staining.)
•4. Serology. Non-specific tests; specific tests.
•5. Animal inoculation.
•6. CSF examination.(Antibodies, protein level, cell content & types).
•7.Ancillary tests.(Xray, tissue biopsy, etc).

Question 11

B.recurrentis

Answer 11

B. recurrentis: causative agent of European Relapsing Fever. It is Louce-borne. The louce vector is PEDUCULUS HUMANUS CORPORIS.

Question 12

B.duttoni

Answer 12

B. duttoni: causes the African Relapsing Fever and it is Tick-borne..
•The tick is ORNITHODORUS MOUBATA. It is a zoonosis. The vector in the middle East is O. THOLOZANI.