General principles of microbiology Flashcards

1
Q

What do viruses consist of? (3 things)

A

nucleic acids protected by a capsid (protein shell), and RNA or DNA

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2
Q

What do viruses do?

A

They enter cells and the divert synthetic process of those cell towards their own replication; Attach, inject nucleic acid (penetration), highjack synthetic processes inside cells to make more viruses, package, get out while going is good

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3
Q

viruses are the _____ and _____ group of organisms.
smallest complex
biggest simplest
biggest complex
smallest simplest

A

smallest simplest

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4
Q

Can a virus have both RNA and DNA?

A

no

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5
Q

Can viruses grow outside of a cell?

A

no they grow inside of them

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6
Q

Are bacteria prokaryotes or eukaryotes?

A

prokaryotes

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7
Q

How do bacteria look? How do they replicate?

A

rigid cell wall, cytoplasm, with genetic material in a circular chromosome. Binary fission.

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8
Q

What are eukaryotes?

A

unicellular and multicellular animals and plant. genetic material organised into a nucleus

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9
Q

What are the two categories for bacterial populations?

A

transient or resident

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10
Q

in which ways are flora important? (5)

A
  1. protect a person from infection
    2.participates in metabolism
  2. Disturbances in the ecology and balance of the normal flora may be produced by antibiotic therapy -
    this is the basis of, for example, antibiotic induced diarrhea.
    4.controlled by various host defense’s
  3. normal flora in cultures may confuse the interpretation of laboratory results.
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11
Q

What happens if there is a disturbance with normal flora that helps to synthesize vitamin K?

A

there may be secondary nutritional deficiencies.

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12
Q

what happens if there is deficiencies in host defense’s?

A

may result, in some patients, in infections caused by organism that are normally not pathogenic

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13
Q

How does flora not harm our body?

A

they function as a balance eco-system with multiple species at a site no single organism predominating.

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14
Q

What are mycoplasmas?

A

Mycoplasmas are similar to bacteria but do not have the rigid cell wall, and are consequently more delicate

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15
Q

what types of normal flora found on the colon and the skin?

A

GI-tract: colon is inhabited by anaerobes and coliforms
Skin: mostly coagulase negative staphylococci

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16
Q

Where should there be no bacteria?

A

Your blood, lungs, cerebral spinal fluid, urinary tract, heart

17
Q

Where and why is transient flora found?

A

found in a specific location often as a result of displacement of resident flora,
injury or trauma, or through human behaviour.

18
Q

When do infection w/ bacteria happen?

A

when single species predominate a site which there is normally many species or when a single organism invades a body site that is sterile.

19
Q

What determines the outcome of the body after it has had an infection caused by bacteria?

A

bacterial pathogenicity factors:
1. mechanical barriers
2. adherence
3. phagocytosis
4. antibodies (humoural immunity)
5. complement,
6. cell mediated immunity
7. endo/exo-toxin production.

20
Q

Mechanical barriers
name?
is there bacteria?
what happens if there is a break in integrity?

A

-the skin
-colonized by large numbers of organisms
-allows bacteria to gain access to deeper layers

21
Q

What organ is arguably the most important mechanical and innate immune system component?

A

the skin

22
Q

What is the first requirement for bacterial invasion to occur? how?

A
  • Adherence to the host
    -ligands (small molecules) present on surface of bacteria bind to specific receptors on the mammalian cell surface
23
Q

What is phagocytosis? What cells are involved?

A
  • The ingestion of bacteria
    -macrophages and blood neutrophils
24
Q

What ways do bacteria’s avoid phagocytosis? example?

A

surround themselves with a polysaccharide capsule (a protective “coat”) and can prevent the phagocytic cell
from engulfing them.
-e.g Streptococcus pneumoniae

25
Q

What ways does the host respond when bacteria’s are avoiding phagocytosis?

A
  • produce antibodies to the capsule.
  • antibody bind to (and can sometimes) alter the surface of the capsule to permits the phagocyte to take up the capsulated organism. This is referred to as opsonization
26
Q

what is opsonin?

A

an antibody or other substance which binds to foreign microorganisms or cells making them more susceptible to phagocytosis.

27
Q

what are two ways antibodies function against bacteria?

A

act as an opsonin or kill organisms directly

28
Q

What is a complement?

A

complex system of plasma proteins that work together to resist bacterial infection.

29
Q

Can bacteria’s be killed by complement?

A

Yes

30
Q

what is a complement two major roles?

A

one on its own and one to enhance the immune response.

31
Q

Cell Mediated Immunity

A

Some bacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Legionella species are killed by activated
macrophages and as such cell mediated immunity is a vital defence against these organisms.

32
Q

Why might a bacteria produce exotoxins? What are they?

A
  • to damage the host
  • proteins that are synthesized and released by bacteria
    -may exert their effects at an anatomical location remote from the bacteria that originally synthesized them
33
Q

what is a hosts defense against exotoxins

A

antibody

34
Q

What is metastatic spread?

A

the distribution of an infection from primary focus of infection to a new site through the blood stream.

35
Q

what happens if an organism disseminated by the blood stream?

A

can then cause clinical symptoms or first sign of infection at a location distant from the original infection or point of entry.

36
Q

What are compromised patients?

A

patients deficient in some of the antimicrobial defences the body has

37
Q

How are deficiencies in antimicrobial defences cause?

A

a disease process (for instance leukemia may give rise to a deficiency in phagocytosis) or to medical
or surgical procedures, including the administration of medication.

38
Q

How would drugs cause a deficiencie?

A

immunosuppressive drugs to transplant patients may depress their immune system to the point where it is
no longer effective as a defence.

39
Q

what are patients at risk for if they are missing
Phagocytic cells (e.g., leukopenia)
Antibody mediated immunity
Cell mediated immunity (including AIDS)

A

Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae
Streptococcus pneumonia and viral infections
Tuberculosis, Legionella and AIDS-related infections