The Endospore forming bacteria Flashcards
What are the Two main genera of the endospore forming bacteria?
- Bacillus
- Clostridium
When are endospores usually formed?
- Usually formed when a population reaches conditions of nutrient limitation
What are the features of endospores
- Highly resistant to heat, uv, toxic chemicals, ionising radiation
- Heat resistance is used for selection
Where are endospores usually found?
- Typically Gram + cell wall
What is the typical habitat for endospores?
- Soil
does endospores stain gram + or -
- typically gram + but stain variably
Is Bacillus aerobic or anaerobic
- Aerobic or facultative anaerobes
Is Clostridium aerobic or anaerobic
- Anaerobic
Name the different layers of endospores from outside to in
- Exosporium
- Spore coat(s)
- Cortex
- Spore protoplast or core
What is the exosporium of an endospore
- The outside layer of an endospore
- thin delicate layer of mostly protein
What is the Spore coat(s) of an endospore
- Multiple layers of spore-specific proteins
What is the Cortex of an endospore
- loosely packed peptidoglycan
- one of the layers of an endospore
What is the Spore protoplast or core of an endospore
- normal cell wall, plasma membrane, cytoplasm and nucleoid
Name the features of Bacillus. (aerobic or anaerobic, gram stain, habitat)
- Aerobic or facultative anaerobes
- Variable gram stain
- Habitat: mainly soil organisms, although some parasites and pathogens
I am an agent of anthrax, disease of sheep, goats and cattle, that is also transmissable to humans and survive in soil for 30 years or more what am I
- Bacillus anthracis
What are the 3 main general manifestations/routes of infection of human Bacillus anthracis
- Cutaneous Anthrax (animal workers)
- Gastrointestinal Anthrax (ingestion of contaminated meat)
- Pulmonary anthrax (inhalation of spores)
What is Cutaneous Anthrax
- most common form of infection out of the 3
- Spores germinate in skin abrasions
- Skin ulcer - black eschar, can become systemic
What type of workers usually catch cutaneous antrax
- Animal workers
What is the mortality rate of cutaneous anthrax
- untreated is 20% mortality