Infection

Question 1

What are the 5 types of microorganisms?

Answer 1

Bacteria
Fungi
Prions
Protozoa
Viruses

Question 2

What are prions and what happens when they fold and misshape?

Answer 2

They are proteins that occur naturally in brains of animals and people.

Normally are harmless, however when they fold and misshape they cause devastating illnesses.

Question 3

Do human cells have cell walls?

Answer 3

No

Question 4

What are bacteria?

Answer 4

Unicellular
Do not require living tissue to survive
Outer rigid cell wall - gram positive and gram negative

Question 5

What are gram positive bacteria?

Answer 5

Can be aerobic and anaerobic
Thick layer of peptidoglycan
Picks up crystal violet stain

Question 6

What are some examples of gram positive aerobic bacteria?

Answer 6

Staphylococcus
Streptococcus
Bacillus
Listeria

Question 7

What are some examples of gram positive anaerobic bacteria?

Answer 7

Clostridium
Bifidobacterium
Eubacterium
Lactobacillus
Propionibacterium

Question 8

What are gram negative bacterias?

Answer 8

Can also be aerobic and anaerobic
Has an outer membrane and so REPELS crystal violet
Thin peptidoglycan layer on inside
Picks up pink stain
More resistant to antibiotics due to cell wall

Question 9

Why are cell walls important

Answer 9

Its a way “in” for antibiotics

Question 10

What are some examples of gram negative aerobic bacterias?

Answer 10

Salmonella
E.coli
Legionella

Question 11

What are some examples of anaerobic gram negative bacterias?

Answer 11

Bacteroides
Pervotella
Porphyromonas

Question 12

What are some types of fungi?

Answer 12

Ringworm
Athletes foot
Thrush

Question 13

What are fungi?

Answer 13

Fungal cell walls are rigid and multi-layered, made of polysaccharides.
Fungi can grow in low o2 environments and withstand temperature variations.

Question 14

What are some examples of fungal chest infections

Answer 14

Pneumonia
Histoplasmosis
Aspergillosis

Question 15

What is the problem with anti fungal meds?

Answer 15

Many anti fungal meds used to treat systemic infections are toxic to the host as fungal cell composition is similar to human cells

Question 16

What are some common anti fungal meds?

Answer 16

Amphotericin
Ketoconazole
Fluconazole

Question 17

What are viruses

Answer 17

Most common of all pathogens
Very very small
DNA/RNA is protected by a layer of protein called a capsid
Some viruses have an external membrane called an envelope

Not a living organism, think of them as machines.

Question 18

What does the layer of protein called a capsized mean for a virus?

Answer 18

It means the outside of a virus is “sticky” so it can catch onto membrane bound proteins easily.
It then pusses into a cell and hijacks the cellular machinery in order to membrane.
It cannot independently replicate.
Result is often host cell destruction.
Cannot live long outside a host cell.

Question 19

What happens when you get a cold?

Answer 19

Virus latches on to epithelial cells in oropharynx.
Pushes way into epithelial cells and hijacks cell machinery.
Replicates inside cell and cells explode.
Causes no epithelial covering in throat causing sore throat.
Self limiting as particular virus is fragile.

Question 20

How small is the typical virus

Answer 20

50nm
Viruses are extremely small and hard to target.
E coli bacteria is 1000nm

Question 21

Can bacteria be infected by a virus

Answer 21

Yes

Question 22

How many viruses are there known

Answer 22

10 to the power of 31

Question 23

How are viruses safe from the immune response?

Answer 23

They can “hide” inside cells whilst they replicate, therefore safe from immune response.

Question 24

What are protozoa?

Answer 24

Basically a parasite (not worms)
They are unicellular eukaryotes.
Protozoa are microscopic, one-celled organisms that can be free-living or parasitic in nature. They are able to multiply in humans, which contributes to their survival and also permits serious infections to develop from just a single organism.

Question 25

How is protozoa spread

Answer 25

Can be injected into host when bitten by insect, such as malaria and mosquitoes.

Question 26

What are some common antiprotozoals?

Answer 26

Metronidazole
Tinidazole
Nifuratel

Early treatment is key for success.