Enteropathogenic Clostridia Flashcards

1
Q

What species of Clostridium are enteropathogenic and enterotoxemia producing?

A

C. perfringens, C. difficile, C. colinum, C. spiroforme, C. piliforme

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2
Q

What are some general characteristics of C. perfringens?

A

gram positive pleomorphic rods, obligate anaerobes, non-motile, spores of boxcar shaped appearance

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3
Q

What is unique about the structure of C. perfringens?

A

only clostridium that possesses a capsule

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4
Q

What is the habitat of C. perfringens?

A

soil, feces, GI tract - invades dead tissue post-mortem

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5
Q

What type of C. perfringens is part of the normal intestinal flora and causes both enterotoxigenic/enteropathogenic and histotoxic infections?

A

type A

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6
Q

What are some predisposing factors of C. perfringens?

A

inappropriate husbandry, sudden dietary changes, environmental influences

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7
Q

What are the four major toxins of C. perfringens?

A

alpha toxin (all strains), beta toxin (B and C strains), epsilon toxin (B and D strains), iota toxin (E strain)

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8
Q

What does alpha toxin of C. perfringens cause?

A

hemolysis and cell necrosis

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9
Q

What does the beta toxin of C. perfringens cause?

A

enteritis and contraction of intestinal smooth muscle

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10
Q

What are the epsilon and iota toxins of C. perfringens produced as?

A

pro-toxins

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11
Q

What are some other virulence factors of C. perfringens?

A

8 other exotoxins, minor toxins/enzymes, capsule

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12
Q

What is the causative agent of necrotic enteritis (rot gut) in chickens?

A

C. perfringens type A

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13
Q

How is necrotic enteritis (rot gut) transmitted?

A

fecal-oral route

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14
Q

What are some predisposing factors of necrotic enteritis (rot gut)?

A

dietary, mucosal damage, coccidia occurring concurrently

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15
Q

What are some clinical signs of necrotic enteritis (rot gut)?

A

sudden death, depression, ruffled feathers, diarrhea

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16
Q

How do you diagnose necrotic enteritis (rot gut)?

A

clinical signs and post-mortem findings, smear and gram-stain of intestinal mucosa, histological findings, isolation of C. perfringens from intestinal contents

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17
Q

How do you treat and control necrotic enteritis (rot gut)?

A

antibiotics in water, prevent coccidiosis, good diet, isolation of sick animals

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18
Q

What is the causative agent of lamb dysentery?

A

C. perfringens type B

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19
Q

What are some clinical signs of lamb dysentery?

A

sudden death with no premonitory signs, abdominal distension, pain, bloody feces

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20
Q

What are some predisposing factors of lamb dysentery?

A

low proteolytic activity in neonatal intestines, incomplete establishment of normal intestinal flora in neonates, dietary influences in older animals

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21
Q

How do you diagnose lamb dysentery?

A

clinical signs and post-mortem findings, demonstration of gram-positive rods from intestinal mucosa, anaerobic culture to isolate C. perfringens, ELISA

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22
Q

What are some post-mortem findings of lamb dysentery?

A

hemorrhagic enteritis with ulceration of small intestine, fluid accumulation in peritoneal cavity and pericardial sac NOTE: no visible external lesions

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23
Q

What is the causative agent of “struck” in sheep?

A

C. perfringens type C

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24
Q

What is the major toxin of “struck” in sheep?

A

beta toxin NOTE: causes intestinal inflammation and necrosis

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25
Q

What is the minor toxin of “struck” in sheep?

A

alpha toxin NOTE: causes hemolysis

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26
Q

What are some clinical signs of “struck” in sheep?

A

sudden death, acute enterotoxemia in adult sheep, possible terminal convulsions

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27
Q

What are some post-mortem findings of “struck” in sheep?

A

jejunal ulceration, patchy hyperemia in small intestines, peritonitis

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28
Q

What is the causative agent of hemorrhagic enteritis in pigs?

A

C. perfringens type C

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29
Q

What is the pathogenesis of hemorrhagic enteritis in pigs?

A

beta toxin -> binds vascular endothelial cells -> vascular necrosis and necrosis of villi

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30
Q

What are some clinical signs of hemorrhagic enteritis in pigs?

A

sudden death in newborn piglets, dullness, anorexia, blood-stained feces, perianal hyperemia

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31
Q

What are some post-mortem findings of hemorrhagic enteritis in pigs?

A

hallmark lesion, necrosis of intestinal mucosa with blood stained contents in small intestines, cecum, and colon, serosanguineous fluid in the pleural and peritoneal cavity

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32
Q

What is the hallmark lesion of hemorrhagic enteritis in pigs?

A

segmental mucosal necrosis with marked hemorrhage in the small intestine

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33
Q

What is the causative agent of pulpy kidney (over-eating disease)?

A

C. perfringens type D

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34
Q

What species are mostly affected by pulpy kidney (over-eating disease)?

A

thriving lambs 3-10 weeks old

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35
Q

What is the predisposition of pulpy kidney (over-eating disease)?

A

excessive consumption of high grain and low roughage diet, immunocompromised animals, GI parasites, decreased intestinal motility

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36
Q

What is the pathogenesis of pulpy kidney (over-eating disease)?

A

high starch content -> rapid proliferation of clostridial organisms -> partially digested food from rumen to intestine -> production of epsilon (major) toxin and beta (minor) toxin

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37
Q

What are some of the clinical signs of pulpy kidney (over-eating disease)?

A

lambs found dead, dullness, opisthotonos, convulsions, coma, blindness, head pressing, bloating in later stages, hyperglycemia and glycosuria

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38
Q

How do you diagnose pulpy kidney (over-eating disease)?

A

clinical signs and post-mortem findings, toxin neutralization in mice, PCR, ELISA

39
Q

What are some of the post-mortem findings of pulpy kidney (over-eating disease)?

A

endocardial hemorrhage and excess pericardial fluid in acute cases, rapid kidney autolysis, focal symmetrical encephalomalacia

40
Q

How do you diagnose C. perfringens enterotoxemia?

A

history, direct smears from mucosa or intestines, toxin neutralization tests, ELISA, isolation of C. perfrigens types B and C

41
Q

T/F: antibiotic therapy is generally effective in the treatment of C. perfringens enterotoxemia

A

FALSE

42
Q

How do you treat and control C. perfringens enterotoxemia?

A

hyperimmune serum, vaccination, avoid sudden dietary changes

43
Q

What are some diseases associated with C. difficile?

A

diseases associated with antibiotic use, pseudomembranous colitis, chronic diarrhea in dogs, hemorrhagic enterocolitis in horses, neonatal diarrhea in pigs, nosocomial infection in humans

44
Q

What is the habitat of C. difficile?

A

normal flora of the gut

45
Q

What are some virulence factors of C. difficile?

A

toxin A (stimulates fluid secretion and diarrhea). toxin B (damages enterocytes in gut causing hemorrhage)

46
Q

What is the pathogenesis of C. difficile?

A

antimicrobials cause disruption in normal intestinal flora -> overgrowth of C. difficile from spores -> toxin production and diarrhea

47
Q

What are some clinical signs of C. difficile?

A

colic, profuse diarrhea, weakness, dehydration, death can occur in young animals within 24 hours

48
Q

How do you diagnose C. difficile?

A

clinical signs and history of antibiotic use, demonstration of toxin in feces using cytotoxicity assays/ELISA, PCR

49
Q

How do you treat and prevent C. difficile?

A

metronidazole and amoxicillin in dogs, good antimicrobial prescribing practices, alleviation of stress, cleaning and disinfection

50
Q

What disease is assoicated with C. colinum?

A

enteritis in quails, chickens, turkeys, pheasant, and grouse

51
Q

How is C. colinum transmitted?

A

via feces of sick and recovered birds

52
Q

What are some post-mortem findings of C. colinum?

A

intestinal ulceration and hepatic necrosis

53
Q

How do you treat and control C. colinum?

A

antibiotics in drinking water or feed, remove contaminated litter regularly

54
Q

What disease is associated with C. spiroforme?

A

spontaneous antibiotic-induced enteritis in rabbits

55
Q

What are some predisposing factors to C. spiroforme?

A

oral administration of antibiotics, low-fiber diets

56
Q

How do you diagnose C. spiroforme?

A

PCR

57
Q

How do you treat and control C. spiroforme?

A

antitoxin

58
Q

What species is characterized as the atypical clostridium?

A

C. piliforme

59
Q

What are some general characteristics of C. piliforme?

A

gram-variable

60
Q

What diseases are associated with C. piliforme?

A

hepatic necrosis (Tyzzer’s disease) in lab animals, sporadic infection leading to coma and death in foals less than 6 weeks old

61
Q

What are some predisposing factors of C. piliforme?

A

stress, immunosuppression

62
Q

What are some clinical signs of C. piliforme?

A

depression, anorexia, fever, jaundice, diarrhea

63
Q

What are some post-mortem findings of C. piliforme?

A

hepatomegaly and hepatic necrosis

64
Q

How do you diagnose C. piliforme?

A

histological demonstration in hepatocytes using Warthin-Starry stain, PCR

65
Q

T/F: C. piliforme is difficult to treat since it presents as acute disease

A

TRUE

66
Q

What is the etiological agent involved in causing segmental mucosal necrosis with marked hemorrhage of the small intestine in piglets? a) C. perfringens type A b) C. perfringens type B c) C. perfringens type C d) Salmonella cholerasuis e) E coli

A

c) C. perfringens type C

67
Q

What is the etiological agent of pulpy kidney in lambs? a) C. perfringens type B b) C. perfringens type C c) C. perfringens type D d) Salmonella cholerasuis e) E coli

A

c) C. perfringens type D

68
Q

What species of Clostridium are histotoxic?

A

C. chauvoei, C. septicum, C. novyi type A and type B, C. perfringens type A, C. sordelli, C. hemolyticum

69
Q

What are some general characteristics of histotoxic clostridia?

A

causes variety of lesions in domestic animals, endospores widely distributed in the environment, bacteria may be produced in wounds and produce exotoxins

70
Q

How are histotoxic clostridia spores transmitted?

A

may enter through intestines, latent spores present in tissues can germinate

71
Q

What disease is C. chauvoei associated with?

A

blackleg in cattle and sheep

72
Q

What HISTOTOXIC disease is C. perfringens type A associated with?

A

gas gangrene

73
Q

What disease is C. septicum associated with?

A

braxy (abomasitis) in sheep

74
Q

When and where is braxy most likely to occur?

A

winter when heavy frost or snow occurs in Northern Europe

75
Q

What is the pathogenesis of braxy?

A

ingestion of frozen herbage -> localized devitalization of abomasal tissue as point of contact with rumen

76
Q

What are some clinical signs of braxy?

A

death without premonitory signs. anorexia, depression, and fever shortly before death

77
Q

How do you diagnose braxy?

A

fluorescent antibody technique on abomasal lesions

78
Q

What disease is C. novyi type A associated with?

A

big head in young rams

79
Q

What disease is C. novyi type B associated with?

A

infectious necrotic hepatitis (black disease) in sheep and cattle

80
Q

What is the pathogenesis of black disease?

A

migrating parasites damage liver tissue -> spore germinate -> toxins produced -> flukes carry bacteria and/or spores to liver

81
Q

What are some clinical signs of black disease?

A

rapid death with no premonitory signs

82
Q

What is the differential diagnosis of black disease?

A

acute fasciolosis

83
Q

What are some post-mortem findings of black disease?

A

dark discoloration of skin caused by marked venous congestion of SQ tissue

84
Q

How do you diagnose black disease?

A

fluorescent antibody technique from liver lesions

85
Q

What disease is C. hemolyticum (C. novyi type D) associated with?

A

bacillary hemoglobinuria in cattle and sheep

86
Q

What is the pathogenesis of bacillary hemoglobinuria?

A

endospores present in liver -> fluke migration occurs -> beta toxin causes intravascular hemolysis and hepatic necrosis

87
Q

How do you diagnose bacillary hemoglobinuria?

A

fluorescent antibody techniqe

88
Q

What is the protocol for culture of Clostridium spp?

A

incubate anaerobically with 10% CO at 37ºC for 2-4 days

89
Q

What are some techniques for laboratory diagnosis of C. perfringens?

A

samples of pus, necrotic tissue, food, or feces. culture anaerobically at 37º for 24-48 hours. fluorescent antibody technique. nagler reaction. litmus test. reverse CAMP test

90
Q

What types of media can be used for the laboratory diagnosis of C. perfringens?

A

blood, chocolate, phenyl ethyl acohol agar, robertson cooked meat (RCM) broth or thioglycolate broth

91
Q

What is the nagler reaction?

A

plate neutralization test used to identify lecithinase activity of alpha toxin of C. perfringens

92
Q

What is the protocol for the nagler reaction?

A

culture on egg yolk medium and add alpha antitoxin to 1/2

93
Q

What does the litmus test indicate?

A

lactose fermentation, litmus reduction, gas and clot production

94
Q

What is the protocol for the reverse CAMP test?

A

streak S. agalactiae across BAP, streak suspected C. perfringens at right angle of S. agalactiae without touching, incubate, observe for bow tie zone of hemolysis toward S. agalactiae