Clostridium (Bailiey)

Question 1

Clostridium genus is an ______ _____ genus meaning it doesn’t grow in oxygen; and is structurally composed of Gram ____ ____

Answer 1

strictly anaerobic

positive rods

Question 2

T/F: The clostridium genus produces endospores

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The Clostridium genus produce _________ toxins that are responsible for disease symptoms

Answer 3

proteinaceous

Question 4

What are the 4 common species of Clostridium?

Answer 4

C. Difficile
C. Perfringens (causes cellulitis, gas gangrene, and food poisoning)
C. Botulinum
C. Tetani

Question 5

T/F: For the most part clostridium diseases are caused by toxins

Answer 5

True

Question 6

The Clostridium bacteria, have the ability to produce _______, which allows them to survive harsh climates

Answer 6

endospores

Question 7

Endospores are a metabolically ______ state in which organisms can remain viable for hundreds of years

Answer 7

inactive

Question 8

T/F: Endospores are resistant to most adverse conditions, except extreme heat

Answer 8

False. Endospores are resistant to most adverse conditions including extreme heat

Question 9

T/F: In clostridium, spore induction is caused by unfavorable environmental conditions

Answer 9

True

Question 10

What bacteria is the leading cause of nosocomial diarrhea?

Answer 10

C. difficile

Question 11

What is the mode of transmission of the C. difficile bacteria?

Answer 11

Endospore

Question 12

C. Difficile is associated with what disease?

Answer 12

Pseuodmembranous Colitis (PMC)

Question 13

T/F: C. Difficile is harbored in a dormant state in the large intestine of most healthy humans

Answer 13

False: It is harbored in a small percentage of healthy humans

Question 14

T/F: C. difficile spores are resistant to antibiotics.

Answer 14

True

Question 15

C. difficile has 2 toxins, what are the names of them and what type of toxin are they?

Answer 15

Toxin A- enterotoxin

Toxin B- cytotoxin

Question 16

Toxin A causes epithelial cells to stop absorbing _____, which ultimately results in fluid loss

Answer 16

Na (sodium)

Question 17

Toxin B causes ______ in the cytoskeleton, ultimately resulting in ____ ____

Answer 17

disruption

cell death

Question 18

Which C. difficile toxin(s), act in the cytoplasm of host cell to glycosylate GTP-binding proteins?

Answer 18

Both toxin A & toxin B

Question 19

How is C. difficile diagnosed?

Answer 19

ELISA detection of Toxin A

Question 20

Which environmental pathogen is found in every soil except the Sahara desert?

Answer 20

C. perfringens

Question 21

C. perfringens produces how many toxins?

Answer 21

12

Question 22

_____ ______ introduces C. perfringens spores from the environment that germinate in _____ tissue

Answer 22

Severe trauma

damaged

Question 23

What 4 factors are necessary for germination of C. perfringens?

Answer 23

Anaerobic
Compromised blood supply
Calcium ions
Availability of peptides and amino acids
*Note: All factors are present in damaged tissue

Question 24

C. perfringens toxins typically cause _______, that can lead to gas gangrene

Answer 24

cellulitis

Question 25

What C. perfringens toxin damages cell membranes, and causes gas gangrene?

Answer 25

Alpha-toxin (lecithinase)

Question 26

The alpha toxin is a lecithinase and works by hydrolyzing __________ and ________ which is embedded in the cell membrane. This damage to the cell membrane results in cell death

Answer 26

phosphatidylcholine | sphingomyelin

Question 27

If C. perfringens goes untreated it has a ______ fatality rate

Answer 27

100%

Question 28

How is C. perfringens treated if caught before its' spores germinate?

Answer 28

try to restore arterial blood supply before spores germinate to eliminate anaerobic environment

Question 29

How is C. perfringens treated after spores germinate?

Answer 29

Surgical removal of the infected muscle and Antibiotics to control the infection (note even if caught early amputation still necessary)

Question 30

What organism is the third most common type of food poisoning in the US?

Answer 30

C. perfringens

Question 31

The C. perfringens toxins that produce food poisoning are ______ to gas gangrene

Answer 31

unrelated

Question 32

Sporulating C. perfringens that produce ______ in intestines of people who have consumed contaminated food (usually meat) and cause food poisoning

Answer 32

enterotoxin

Question 33

C. perfringens food poisoning disappears after what amount of time?

Answer 33

1-3 days

Question 34

Clostridium botulinum is found where?

Answer 34

soils and marine sediments

Question 35

Clostridium botulinum is associated with improper ______ processes

Answer 35

canning

Question 36

C. botulinum produces ______ neurotoxin serotypes

Answer 36

8 neurotoxin serotypes A-G

Question 37

What are the most common C. botulinum serotypes in humans?

Answer 37

Serotypes A, B, E (fish)

Question 38

C. botulinum toxins are among the most _______ substances known

Answer 38

poisonous

Question 39

BoNT is the abbreviation for what?

Answer 39

C. botulinum neurotoxin

Question 40

Purified BoNT is produced as a stable _____ ___ protein complex

Answer 40

900 | kDa

Question 41

In a purified BoNT is composed of a ____ kDa toxic component and a ____ kDa non-toxic component

Answer 41

150 | 750

Question 42

How much BoNT is needed to be a lethal dose?

Answer 42

<1 microgram

Question 43

The C. Botulinum Toxin prevents the release of what neurotransmitter?

Answer 43

Acetylcholine

Question 44

The C. Botulinum Toxin interferes with neurotransmission where?

Answer 44

Peripheral cholinergic synapses

Question 45

The C. Botulinum toxin causes a ____ paralysis within 12 to 36 hours, it affects ____ nerves first causing the patient to have double vision and difficulty swallowing and the paralysis will descend, ultimately leading to ___ ____

Answer 45

flaccid Cranial Respiratory Failure

Question 46

What are the 3 types of Botulism?

Answer 46

Food borne Wound Infant

Question 47

If botulinum toxin ingestion is caught early (before onset of symptoms) what is used to treat it?

Answer 47

Trivalen antitoxin from horses

Question 48

Why are no antibiotics necessary to treat botulinum toxin?

Answer 48

There is no organism there to target, the main problem with this is that the person has ingested the toxin, not the organism

Question 49

T/F: C. tetani is ubiquitous in the GI tract of humans and animals and also in soil samples

Answer 49

True

Question 50

C. tetani is usually associated with traumatic ______

Answer 50

wounds

Question 51

The major toxin of C. tetani is _____ and it is responsible for all symptoms

Answer 51

tetanospasmin

Question 52

Tetanospasmin attaches to _____ nerves near wound and is transmitted to cranial nerve nuclei, once there it inhibits neurotransmitter release of _____

Answer 52

peripheral | GABA

Question 53

The symptoms of tetanospasmin are?

Answer 53

Spastic Paralysis | Reflex Spasms

Question 54

_____ is usually the first symptom of tetanus

Answer 54

Trismus (lockjaw)

Question 55

C. Tetani is completely preventable with the _____ vaccine

Answer 55

DPT

Question 56

What does DPT stand for?

Answer 56

Diphtheria, Pertusis, and Tetanus

Question 57

When treating tetanus, the DPT antitoxin should be administered ________

Answer 57

immediately