ch12 Flashcards
(122 cards)
rickettsias
tiny, Gram-negative, obligate intracellular
parasites that synthesize only a small amount of
peptidoglycan and thus appear almost wall-less.
rickettsias named after
The group
as a whole is named after the most common genus of them,
Rickettsia, named for person who discovered
rickettsias are viruses?
they are not much bigger than a large
virus. Because of their small size, rickettsias were originally considered
viruses, but closer examination has revealed that they
contain both DNA and RNA, functional ribosomes, and Krebs
cycle enzymes and that they reproduce via binary fission—all
characteristics of cells, not viruses.
Researchers have proposed several hypotheses to explain
why rickettsias are obligate parasites, even though they have
functional genes for protein synthesis, ATP production, and reproduction.
Primary among these hypotheses is that rickettsias
have very “leaky” cytoplasmic membranes and lose small cofactors
(such as NAD+
) unless they are in an environment that
contains an equivalent amount of these cofactors—such as the
cytosol of a host cell.
Rickettsia genus
Rickettsia is a genus of nonmotile, aerobic, intracellular parasites
that live in the cytosol of their host cells.
Rickettsia genus structure
They possess minimal
or no cell walls of peptidoglycan and an outer membrane of lipopolysaccharide
with endotoxin activity. A loosely organized slime layer surrounds each cell.
Rickettsia genus vector
Arthropod vectors transmit all three species of Rickettsia
how do Rickettsia genus enter host cells
by stimulating endocytosis. Once inside a
host cell, the microbes secrete an enzyme that digests the membrane
of the endocytic vesicle, releasing the bacteria into the cytosol.
As a result, rickettsias avoid the lysis that would ensue if
a lysosome had merged with the endosome
Rickettsia rikcettsii causes
- spotted fever rickettsiosis (principally
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, RMSF), the most severe and
most reported rickettsial illness.
RMSF symptoms
About a week after infection, patients experience fever,
headache, chills, muscle pain, nausea, and vomiting. In most
cases (90%), a spotted, nonitchy rash develops on the trunk and
appendages–including palms and soles. In about 50% of patients, the rash develops into subcutaneous
hemorrhages called petechiae
R. rickettsii secretes __, and disease is not the product
of the host’s immune response
no toxins. Apparently, damage to the
blood vessels leads to leakage of plasma into the tissues, which
may result in low blood pressure and insufficient nutrient and
oxygen delivery to the body’s organs.
R rickettsii dormancy
R. rickettsii is typically dormant in the salivary glands of
the ticks, and only when the arachnids feed for several hours
are the bacteria activated. Active bacteria are released from the
tick’s salivary glands into the mammalian host’s circulatory
system.
epidemic typhus organism
R prowazekii
In contrast to other rickettsias,
R. prowazekii
has humans as its primary hosts.
RMSF treatment
Physicians treat Rocky Mountain spotted fever by carefully
removing the tick and prescribing doxycycline for most adults
or chloramphenicol for children and pregnant women.
RMSF prevention
Prevention of infection involves
wearing tight-fitting clothing, using tick repellents, promptly
removing attached ticks, and avoiding tick-infested areas
RMSF vectors
Hard ticks
in the genus Dermacentor
epidemic typhus vector
vectored by the human body louse,
Pediculis humanus
RMSF tests
Serological tests such as latex agglutination and fluorescent
antibody stains are used to confirm an initial diagnosis based
on sudden fever and headache following exposure to hard ticks,
plus a rash on the soles or palms. Nucleic acid probes of specimens
from rash lesions provide specific and accurate diagnosis,
but such tests are expensive and typically are performed only
by trained technicians in special laboratories.
epidemic typhus test
Diagnosis must be confirmed by the demonstration of
the bacterium in tissue samples using fluorescent antibody tests.
epidemic typhus symptoms
Diagnosis is based on the observation of signs and
symptoms—high fever, mental and physical depression, and a
rash that lasts for about two weeks—following exposure to infected
lice.
epidemic typhus occurs in
Epidemic typhus occurs in crowded, unsanitary living
conditions that favor the spread of body lice; it is endemic in
Central and South America and in Africa.
epidemic typhus recurrence
It can recur many
years (even decades) following an initial episode. The recurrent
disease (called Brill-Zinsser disease) is mild and brief and
resembles murine typhus.
epidemic typhus treatment
Epidemic typhus is treated with doxycycline or chloramphenicol.