Spirochetes

Question 1

what is spirochetosis?

Answer 1

bacterial infection caused by spirochetes

Question 2

what domestic animal diseases are caused by spirochetes?

Answer 2

leptospirosis
lyme disease
swine dysentery
papillomatous digital dermatitis

Question 3

how do spirochetes gram stain?

Answer 3

negative

Question 4

what is the causative agent of syphilis?

Answer 4

Treponema pallidum
spirochetes

Question 5

can unstained spirochetes be seen with brightfield microscopy?

Answer 5

no: darkfield

Question 6

what can you see on a chem with leptospirosis?

Answer 6

kidneys
BUN elevated
creatinine elevated
SDMA elevated
dilute urine with protein

Question 7

what is the pathogenesis of leptospirosis in the liver?

Answer 7

hyperactive kupffer cells in liver
replication and inflammation lead to centrilobar necrosis
jaundice from hepatocellular dysfunction

Question 8

what happens in the kidneys with leptospirosis?

Answer 8

interstitial nephritis
increased capillary permeability
tubular necrosis leads to hypovolemia

Question 9

what leads to infection with leptospirosis?

Answer 9

exposure to water containing leptospires
spirochetes penetrate mucosa or broken skin

Question 10

what do leptospires have in their outer membranes?

Answer 10

lipopolysaccharides
glycolipoprotein
adhesions
hemolysin

Question 11

if you are trying to confirm a clinical diagnosis, you would rather have ______________________. if you are doing an epidemiological study, you want _____________________

Answer 11

sensitivity>specificity
specificity>sensitivity

Question 12

what is the evidence that leptospirosis causes equine recurrent uveitis?

Answer 12

leptospira are found in both aqueous and vitreous humor of the eye
high anti-leptospiral titers are found in horses with ERU, antibody found in aqueous humor
leptospira have been cultured from aqueous humor of horses with ERU
leptospira is more common in horses with ERU than those without

Question 13

what is Vincent’s disease/acute necrotizing gingivitis of humans due to?

Answer 13

fusospirochetal or polymicrobial mix of spirochetes and other anaerobes

Question 14

what causes swine dystentery?

Answer 14

Brachyspira hyodysenteriae

Question 15

how does lyme disease differ from other spirochetoses?

Answer 15

vector arthropod requirement

Question 16

what happens when a lyme vaccinated dog gets bit by a lyme infected tick?

Answer 16

ingest anti-OspA antibody while feeding
spirochetes incapacitated by anti-OspA antibody before reactivation, preventing antigenic shift to OspC and thereby transmission

Question 17

what happens with incidental hosts of leptospirosis?

Answer 17

may become sick
will persist in kidneys for days to weeks

Question 18

what happens in maintenance hosts when they get leptospirosis?

Answer 18

persist in kidneys, eyes, genital secretions for months to years
host usually subclinically infected

Question 19

what are some components of leptospirosis outer membranes?

Answer 19

lipopolysaccharides: endotoxin effect
glycolipoprotein: cytotoxic
out membrane proteins: adhesins
a hemolysin

Question 20

what is weil’s syndrome?

Answer 20

severe leptospirosis: renal dysfunction and hepatomegaly

Question 21

what causes hairy heel warts or papillomatous digital dermatitis?

Answer 21

Treponema spp

Question 22

what do hairy heel warts or papillomatous digital dermatitis cause?

Answer 22

severe discomfort
economic loss

Question 23

how is swine dysentery/Brachyspira hyodysenteriae transmitted?

Answer 23

fecal-oral

Question 24

what is pathogenesis of lyme disease marked by?

Answer 24

mismatch of bacterial burden (very low) with degree of inflammation

Question 25

why must the lyme vaccine be complemented by anti-tick preventatives?

Answer 25

Anaplasma phagocutophilum also transmitted by deer ticks