SPIROCHETES

Question 1

Motile, long, slender, helically curved, gram-negative bacilli

Answer 1

SPIROCHETES

Question 2

They have an unusual morphologic feature of axial fibrils and outer sheath

Answer 2

Fibrils/axial filaments – flagellalike organelles that wrap around
the bacteria‘s cell wa

Question 3

flagella-like organelles that wrap around
the bacteria‘s cell wall

Answer 3

Fibrils/axial filaments

Question 4

Enclosed within the
outer sheath, and
facilitate motility
(corkscrew-like winding)
of the organism

Answer 4

SPIROCHETES

Question 5

platelike
structures where fibrils are
attached, located near the ends
of the cell

Answer 5

insertion disk

Question 6

derived from the Greek owed meaning “turning thread”

Answer 6

TREPONEMA

Question 7

it has 6 – 10 axial filaments and 1 insertion disk

Answer 7

TREPONEMA

Question 8

how many axial filaments and insertion disk does treponema have?

Answer 8

6 – 10 axial filaments and 1 insertion disk

Question 9

infect only humans and have not been cultivated for more than one passage in vitro

Answer 9

Treponema

Question 10

they are killed rapidly at 42C and are used as a basis for syphilis therapy
- they remain visible in whole blood or plasma for at least 24 hours, which is of potential
importance in blood transfusion

Answer 10

Treponema

Question 11

2 types of Antibodies of Treponema

Answer 11

Treponemal Antibodies
Non-treponemal (reagin) antibodies

Question 12

Most species of treponema stain poorly in?

Answer 12

Gram’s Stain and Giemsa’s Method

Question 13

Treponema is best observed with the use of?

Answer 13

Dark-field or phase-contrast microscopy

Question 14

Etiologic agent of syphilis

Answer 14

Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum

Question 15

Fine spiral organism with 3 periplasmic flagella

Answer 15

Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum

Question 16

Appears white against a dark background
- Microaerophilic and survives longer in the presence of 3-5% oxygen

Answer 16

Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum

Question 17

This organism enters the host by either penetrating intact mucous membrane or entering
through breaks in the skin
o Not highly contagious

Answer 17

Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum

Question 18

Has a remarkable tropism (attraction) to arterioles – infection leads to endarteritis

Answer 18

Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum

Question 19

They die rapidly on drying and susceptible to disinfectants
- Generation time: 30 hours

Answer 19

Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum

Question 20

French disease/ Italian disease/ the great pox
Also known as the “great imitator” because it can copy and assume many clinical
manifestations

Answer 20

Syphilis

Question 21

A disease of blood vessels and of the perivascular areas
It can cross the placenta
It is transmitted by direct/sexual contact or congenital

Answer 21

Syphilis

Question 22

It is characterized by chancre, fever, sore throat, headache and rash (palms and
soles), gummas in skin, neurosyphilis

Answer 22

Syphilis

Question 23

– a single erythematous, painless lesion that is non-tender and
firm with a clean surface and raised border

Answer 23

Chancre –

Question 24

Stages of Syphilis:
Characterized by the appearance of a chancre (hunterial
chancre) usually at the site of inoculation, most commonly the
genitalia
o Within 3 – 6 weeks, the chancre heals
o Dissemination of the organism occurs during this stage
o This stage is highly contagious

Answer 24

Primary Syphilis

Question 25

Stages of Syphilis:
o Starts when the organism reached a sufficient number, after 2 – 24 weeks
o Fever, weight loss, malaise, loss of appetite and skin rashes
o skin rash spreads from the palms and soles towards the trunk

Answer 25

Secondary syphilis

Question 26

Stages of Syphilis:
condylomas develop at the anogenital region, axilla and mouth rash lasts 2 – 6 weeks
A period of latency follows lasting for several years

Answer 26

Secondary syphilis

Question 27

The stage wherein the disease becomes subclinical but not
necessarily dormant
Diagnosis can be made only be serologic tests

Answer 27

Latent stage

Question 28

Stages of Syphilis:
o It is the tissue destructive stage-highly disfiguring
o Appears 10 – 25 years after the initial infection
o Complications arise at this stage – central nervous system
disease, cardiovascular abnormalities, eye disease, granulomalike lesions (gummas)

Answer 28

Tertiary stage

Question 29

Stages of Syphilis:
affects all parts of the body
 cardiovascular and neuromuscular are most common
cause of death
Gummas- large granulomas resulting from hypersensitivity reactions

Answer 29

Tertiary stage

Question 30

Stains used to detect treponema

Answer 30

Levaditti‘s Impregnation Stain and Fontana
Tribondeau

Question 31

Non-treponemal flocculation tests:

Answer 31

 Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test
 Rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test
 Automated Reagin test (ART)
 Wasserman, Kolmer test

Question 32

Treponemal tests:

Answer 32

FTA-ABS
MHA-TP
Treponema pallidum Hemagglutination (TPHA)
Treponema pallidum Immobilization (TPI)

Question 33

Treponemal Test:
performed by overlaying whole treponemes
that are fixed to a slide with serum from patients suspected of having syphilis because of previous (+) VDRL or RPR test

Answer 33

FTA-ABS

Question 34

Treponemal Test:
– utilize RBC from a turkey or other animal that
are coated with treponemal antigens
(+) formation of flat mat across the bottom of the
microdilution well

Answer 34

MHA-TP

Question 35

Etiologic agent of Yaws/Frambesia Tropicana/ parangi/ paru/bua/bouba
- Traumatized skin comes in contact with an infected lesion

Answer 35

Treponema pallidum subsp. Pertenue

Question 36

a nonvenereal infection, characterized by chronic ulcerative sores anywhere on the
body with eventual tissue and bone destruction leading to crippling if untreated

Answer 36

Yaws –

Question 37

Lesions:
Mother of yaws/ frambesia

Answer 37

Primary Lesion

Question 38

Lesions:
Daughter of yaws

Answer 38

Secondary lesion

Question 39

Lesions:
Gangosa

Answer 39

Tertiary Lesions

Question 40

Causative agent of pinta/carate/mal del pinto/azul
common in tropical America

Answer 40

Treponema carateum

Question 41

Infection of the skin
o lesions heal slowly unlike syphilis and yaws
o Primary lesion is a slowly enlarging painless papule on the hands, scalp and feet with
regional lymph node enlargement followed in 1-12 months by a generalized red to slateblue macular rash

Answer 41

Pinta

Question 42

Causative agent of endemic non-venereal syphilis/bejel

Answer 42

Treponema pallidum subsp. Endemicum

Question 43

transmitted by direct contact with active lesions and contaminated fingers

Answer 43

Bejel

Question 44

Blood spirochetes

Answer 44

BORRELIA

Question 45

Composed of 3 – 10 loose coils and are actively motile

Answer 45

BORRELIA

Question 46

Stains well with Giemsa stain; slow growing spirochetes.
- Species that have grown in vitro are microaerophilic

Answer 46

BORRELIA

Question 47

Has 30-40 axial filaments and 2 insertion disks.

Answer 47

BORRELIA

Question 48

Agent of louseborne or Epidemic relapsing fever/ European relapsing fever

Answer 48

Borrrelia Recurrentis

Question 49

Transmitted by Pediculus humanus (louse)

Answer 49

Borrrelia Recurrentis

Question 50

Humans are the only reservoir.

Answer 50

Borrrelia Recurrentis

Question 51

Agents of tickborne relapsing fever/ Endemic or American Relapsing feve

Answer 51

Borrelia hersmii/ B. turicatae/ B. dutoni / B. Parkeri

Question 52

Transmitted via tick bites – Ornithodoros (soft ticks)

Answer 52

Borrelia hersmii/ B. turicatae/ B. dutoni / B. Parkeri

Question 53

Agents of Lyme disease

Answer 53

Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu stricto), B. garinii, B. afzelii

Question 54

Transmitted by the bite of Ixodes ticks – Ixodes pacificus, Ixodes dammini (deer ticks), Ixodes
persulcatus

Deer and rodents (Peromyscus leucopus – white-footed mouse) – ticks‘ natural hosts

Answer 54

Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu stricto), B. garinii, B. afzelii

Question 55

It is maintained in the environment by horizontal transmission from infected nymphal ticks.

Answer 55

Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu stricto), B. garinii, B. afzelii

Question 56

An acute infectious disease marked by recurrent febrile episodes; it has 2-10 relapses.
- Fever, headache, myalgia 2-15 days after infection

Answer 56

Relapsing Fever

Question 57

An acute, recurrent inflammatory infection involving the large joints like the knees, with local
inflammation and swelling.
- It was first observed and described in 1975 among people of Old Lyme. Connecticut, USA.

Answer 57

Lyme disease

Question 58

3 stages of lyme disease:
characteristics red, ring-shaped lesion w/ a central clearing.
- appears at the site of the tick bite but may also develop at other sites.
- signs and symptoms: headache, fever, muscle, joint pain and malaise

Answer 58

First Stage – Erythema Migrans

Question 59

microscopy can be used for detection in blood cultures after 2-3 weeks of incubation at
34-37C

Answer 59

Darkfield

Question 60

For tissue section of Lyme disease what stain can be used?

Answer 60

Warthin-starry stain

Question 61

For blood and CSF of Lyme disease, what stain can be used?

Answer 61

Acridine Orange and Giemsa Stain

Question 62

important in diagnosis of B. burgdorferi DNA in urine.

Answer 62

Polymerase chain reaction

Question 63

Culture media for Lyme Disease?

Answer 63

Keller’s medium or chick embryo

Question 64

Lyme disease serodiagnosis

Answer 64

Immunofluoresence Assay (IFA), Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western Blot

Question 65

The standard method for diagnostic testing for Lyme Disease

Answer 65

Serology

Question 66

Serodiagnosis for Relapsing FEver

Answer 66

Increased titers to Proteus OX K antigens (up to 1:80)

Question 67

Tightly coiled, thin, flexible, obligate aerobic spirochete; spimming motility.

Answer 67

LEPTOSPIRA

Question 68

Often seen as a chain of cocci (dark-field microscope)

Answer 68

LEPTOSPIRA

Question 69

Have “question mark-like” shape.

Answer 69

LEPTOSPIRA

Question 70

Organisms have books rather than tapering off.
- Live in the lumen of the renal tubules (shed info the urine).
- Can survive in neutral or slightly alkaline waters for months
- Can be grown in artificial media.

Answer 70

LEPTOSPIRA

Question 71

Hamsters and guinea pigs are the animal of choice for cultivation

Answer 71

LEPTOSPIRA

Question 72

A zoonotic disease in human caused by L. interrogans.

Answer 72

Leptospirosis/Infectious Jaundice

Question 73

A pretibial rash has been associated with serovar autumnalis (ft. Bragg fever)

Answer 73

Leptospirosis/Infectious Jaundice

Question 74

2 syndrome of leptospirosis:
Septicemic stage, high fever and severe headache (3-7 days) followed by the
immune stage.
Hallmark of immune stage is aseptic meningitis.

Answer 74

Anicteric Leptospirosis

Question 75

2 Syndromes of leptospirosis:
Severe form of illness characterized by liver, kidney and or vascular dysfunction.
 Death can occur in up to 10% of cases

Answer 75

Icteric Leptospirosis/ Well Syndrome

Question 76

can be differentiated from pathogens by their ability to grow to 10C
and lower.

Answer 76

Saprophytes

Question 77

standard procedure using living cells.

Answer 77

Microscopic Agglutination (MA) –