Bacteria flashcards
readily stained organisms fall into four categories
1) Gram + cocci
2) Gram - cocci
3) Gram + rods
4) Gram - rods
Of the four readily stained organisms, which ones further subdivide?
Gram - rods
1) Organisms associated w/the enteric tract
2) Organisms associated w/the respiratory tract
3) Organisms from animal sources
Organisms associated with the enteric tract further subdivide into?
1) Pathogens both inside and outside the enteric tract
2) Pathogens inside the enteric tract
3) Pathogens outside the enteric tract
Campylobacter causes?
Enteric tract disease but frequently has an animal source
Organisms that are not readily gram stained fall into six major categories
1) Mycobacterium species (acid-fast rods)
2) Mycoplasma species (no cell wall)
3 & 4) Treponema & Leptospira species (spirocetes too thin to be seen)
5 & 6) Chlamydia and Rickettsia species (stain well w/Giema stain or other special stains but poorly with gram
Chlamydia and Rickettsia species are ________ __________ __________, whereas members of the other four genera are not
Obligate intracellular parasites
Anaerobes are characterized by their ability to grow in an?
Atmosphere containing less than 20% oxygen. i.e. they grow poorly if not at all in room air
Anaerobes are a heterogeneous group composed of a variety of bacteria, from those that?
Can barely grow in 20% oxygen to those that can grow in less than 0.02% oxygen
The obligate aerobes, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, grow best in?
The 20% of O2 of room air & not at all under anaerobic conditions
Facultative anaerobes such as Escherichia coli can grow well under?
Either circumstance (anaerobic and aerobic)
Aerotolerant organisms such as Clostridium histolyticum can grow to some extent in?
Air but mult. much more rapidly in lower O2 concentration.
Microaerophilic organisms such as Campylobacter jejuni require a?
Reduced oxygen concentration (approx. 5%) to grow optimally
The obligate anaerobes such as Bacteroides fragilis and Clostridium perfringens require an?
Almost total absence of O2.
Many anaerobes use ___ instead of ___ as their final electron acceptor
nitrogen instead of oxygen
The main reason why the growth of anaerobes is inhibited by oxygen is?
The reduced amount (or absence) of catalase and superoxide
In addition to O2 concentration, the oxidation-reduction potential (Eh) of a tissue is an important determinant of the growth of anaerobes. Areas with low Eh such as the peridontal pocket, dental plaque and colon do what?
Support the growth of anaerobes well. Crushing injuries that result in devitalized tissue caused by impaired blood supply produce a low Eh allowing anaerobes to grow & cause disease
Anaerobes of medical interest include
Both rods and cocci & both gram + and gram - organisms. The rods are divided into the spore formers, i.e. Clostridium, & the non spore formers, e.g. Bacteroides
Streptococcus is a genus of major pathogens consisting of?
Both anaerobic & facultative organisms
Many of the medically important anaerobes are part of the normal human flora. As such, they are nonpathogens in their normal habitat & cause disease when?
Only when they leave those sites. The two prominent exceptions are Clostridium botulinum and Clostridium tetani, the agents of botulism & tetanus, which are soil organisms
Diseases caused by members of the anaerobic normal flora are characterized by?
Abscesses, which are most frequently located in the brain, lungs, female genital tract, bilary tract, & other intra-abdominal sites. Most abscesses contain more than one organism, either multiple anaerobes or a mixture of anaerobes plus facultative anaerobes
Three important findings of physical examination that arouse suspicion of an anaerobic infection are?
A foul-smelling discharge, gas in the tissue, and necrotic tissue. In addition, infections in the setting of pulmonary aspiration, bowel surgery, abortion, cancer, or human & animal bites frequently involve anaerobes
Two aspects of microbiological diagnosis of an anaerobic infection are important even before the specimen is cultured
1) Obtaining the appropriate specimen
2) Rapidly transporting the specimen under anaerobic conditions to the laboratory.
An appropriate specimen is one that does not contain members of the normal flora to confuse the interpretation. Example, such specimens as blood, pleural fluid, pus, & transtracheal aspirates are appropriate, but sputum & feces are not
Laboratory diagnosis: In the lab, the cultures are handled & incubated under _________ conditions
anaerobic
There are two medically important genera of gram-positive cocci
Staphylococcus and Streptococcus