Staphylococcus

Question 1

What is the number one thing to remember when determining how to treat staphyococcal infections?

Answer 1

Staphylococci are opportunistic pathogens. Primary cause needs to be eliminated!

Question 2

Staphylococcus are commensals of:

Answer 2

skin and mm: nose, lower UG tract, GI tract

Question 3

Staphylococcus spp are responsible for causing what type of infections?

Answer 3

Supperative; abscesses

Question 4

Staphylococcus species of veterinary importance

Answer 4

S. aureus
S. pseudintermedius
S. hyicus
CoNG

Question 5

Staphylococcus virulence factors

Answer 5

Protein A
Coagulase
TSST
Hemolysin
Enterotoxins

Question 6

Which virulence factor of staphylococcus spp helps with immune evasion and anti-opsonization by binding (sequestering) antibodies?

Answer 6

Protein A

Question 7

How does coagulase increase the virulence of staphylococcal spp?

Answer 7

Gives the bacterium a fibrin coat by turning fibrinogen into fibrin, which allows the bacterium to resist phagocytosis

Question 8

Which staphylococcal spp are coagulase negative?

Answer 8

CoNG

Question 9

TSST is responsible for:

Answer 9

Toxic Shock Syndrome

Question 10

Symptoms of TSS:

Answer 10

Fever, headache, eye redness, hypotension, kidney failure

Question 11

Virulence factor that acts as a superantigen, causing increased cytokine release and tissue destruction:

Answer 11

TSST

Question 12

Virulence factor that plays a role in staphylococcal food poisoning:

Answer 12

Enterotoxins

Question 13

Which staphylococcus species is responsible for contagious mastitis in cattle, botryomycosis in horses, and bumble foot in chickens?

Answer 13

Staphylococcus aureus

Question 14

Bovine staphylococcal mastitis caused by S. aureus usually presents as:

Answer 14

Subclinical disease

Question 15

BSM caused by S. aureus can take what 3 forms?

Answer 15

Subclinical
Acute
Peracute gangrenous

Question 16

What issue in mastitis carrier hosts allows S. aureus to survive at subclinical levels?

Answer 16

impaired phagocyte function

Question 17

A cow on your farm has a black, swollen, sore udder, seems depressed, and hasn’t been eating. She also hasn’t been producing any milk. What is your diagnosis?

Answer 17

Peracute gangrenous contagious mastitis caused by S. aureus

Question 18

A farmer calls you about one of his cows who has a severely swollen and fibrotic udder, and whose milk is purulent with clots. What is your diagnosis?

Answer 18

Acute contagious mastitis caused by S. aureus

Question 19

A farmer informs you that during regular testing of somatic cell counts in his cows’ milk, one of them showed somatic cells over 100,000, and it seemed as though one of her ducts may have been blocked. What is your diagnosis and what do you recommend to the farmer?

Answer 19

Subclinical contagious mastitis caused by S. aureus.

Recommend segregation of infected cows and treating them with antibiotics. These cows should be milked last from now on. Cows with chronic mastitis will need to be culled.

Question 20

What is dry cow therapy?

Answer 20

Each cow is given a dry cycle after each lactation cycle. Abx are given right after a lactation cycle, at the beginning of each dry cycle.

Question 21

S. aureus causes what post-castration complication in horses?

Answer 21

Botryomycosis

Question 22

A horse you castrated last week now has microabscesses and granulomatous supperative lesions on the spermatic cord. What is your diagnosis and how can you treat the problem?

Answer 22

Botryomycosis caused by S. aureus.

Treat with surgical intervention and long term antibiotics

Question 23

Your client just noticed that many of his chickens have dermatitis on their feet, and he’s worried it will spread to the turkeys he keeps nearby. What is your diagnosis and how can he prevent the problem in the future? What should be be aware of in his flock of turkeys?

Answer 23

Bumble Foot caused by S. aureus.

Recommend practicing good husbandry, soft, clean bedding, and preventing abrasions to the chicken’s feet.

Infections in turkeys can cause septicemia