Spirochetes Flashcards
Are spirochetes zoonotic?
yes - many can cause zoonotic infections
Are spirochetes intracellular or extracellular pathogens?
extracellular
Describe the general shape of spirochetes
spiral with endoflagella (motile)
gram negative
Oxygen requirements of leptospira
aerobic
How many periplasmic flagella do leptospira have?
2
How many periplasmic flagella do brachyspira have?
6-10
Oxygen requirements for brachyspira
microaerophilic/anaerobic
How many periplsamic flagella do borrelia have?
15-20
Oxygen requirements of borrelia
microaerophilic
What type of staining is reccomended for leptospira?
does not stain well with gram stain
use Warthin Starry or Giemsa
view under darkfield
How are leptospira classified?
based on species name and serovar
How is leptospira transmitted?
shed in urine, uterine discharges/placental fluids
enter through broken skin and mucous membranes
Virulence factors of leptospira
flagella
hemolysins
adhesins
LPS
Clinical sings of leptospira in dogs
biphasic
leptospiremic phase
leptospiruric phase
acute hemorrhagic disease
uraemic type - kidney damage
ulcerative stomatitis
Clinical presentation of leptospira in cattle
abortion “storms”
infertility
sporatic abortions
milk drop syndrome
hemoglobinuria
jaundice
pyrexia
Clinical presentation of leptospira in pigs
infertility
aabortions
stillbirths
Clinical presentation of leptospira in horses
recurrent iridocyclitis
acute renal failure
abortions
Indirect method of diagnosing leptospira
microscopic agglutination test - gold standard
4-fold increase in antibody titer between acute and convalescent serum samples
ELISA
Direct methods of diagnosing leptospira
PCR
culture - heparinized blood, urine, CSF, kidneys
Culture requirements for leptospira
grow at 30C
require Tween 80, bovine serum albumin, B1 and B12, and 5-fluorouracil
What type of culture medium is used for leptospira?
EMJH
fletcher medium
korthoff
vervoort
noguchi
schuffer
How long does leptospira take to grow in culture?
3 months
Treatment of leptospira in dogs
penicillin G
doxycycline
Treatment of leptospira in horses
penicillin
tetracyclines
aminoglycosides