vaginal infections

Question 1

Lactobacillus sp.

Answer 1

• gram positive rods
• Not a pathogen part of normal body’s normal flora
• Can cause opportunistic infections

Question 2

Bacterial vaginosis
Candidiasis
Trichomonas
-what do these have in common

Answer 2

They all produce a discharge

Trichomonas is an STD, other 2 are NOT

Question 3

When taking a cervical sample you should think…

Answer 3

STD

Question 4

When taking a vaginal sample you should think….

Answer 4

Vaginal infection

Question 5

How can we test for BV (bacterial vaginosis)?

Answer 5

Amine test - (whiff test)

or

Use a gram stain and look for the presence of a clue cell (appears overrun with bacterial cells, BUT NO PMNs - because body isnt mounting an immune response - doesnt see the bacteria as a threat)

If you haven’t got a clue - you have BV

Question 6

How will BV present clinically?

Answer 6

presence of a bad odor and vaginal discharge (watery one)…yuck

Question 7

Organism most associated with BV

Answer 7

gardnerella vaginalis (see clue cells on gram stain)
treat with metronidazol

not an STD, rather a disturbance of the vaginal microbial ecosystem

Question 8

Another organism associated with BV

Answer 8

mycoplasma sp.

Question 9

Just as a note, what is special about mycoplasma sp.?

Answer 9

No cell wall so they wont gram stain

(random note: if an organism lives intracellularly it also will NOT gram stain, despite having a cell wall)
-also gram (-) bacterial will likely not gram stain well either (due to outer membrane)

Question 10

Another organism associated with BV

Answer 10

Mobiluncus sp.

- gram (+), but doesn’t stain well for some reason

Question 11

What about streptococcus agalactiae?

Answer 11

Group B, beta hemolytic
Lancing group = polysaccharride capsule?

dangerous because babies can pick this up from the mother in the birth canal (cause of serious neonatal diseases - meningitis, bacteremia, pneumonia