Microbial pathogens 1 Flashcards
a pathogen
a microorganism that is able to cause a disease in a plant or animal or insect
pathogenicity
the ability to produce disease in a host organism
more virulent ∝
more capable of causing disease
microbes express their pathogenicity by means of
virulence
virulence =
term which refers to the degree of pathogenicity of the microbe
determinants of virulence
any genetic, biochemical or structural features that enable it to produce disease in a host
Two main mechanisms underlying bacterial pathogenicity
-The ability to invade tissues (invasiveness)
-ability to produce toxins (toxigenesis)
invasiveness =
-ability to bypass host defence mechanisms
-production of extracellular substances which facilitate invasion (like adherins)
toxigenesis the two types are
-two types of toxin EXO/ENDOtoxins
exotoxins
released from bacterial cells and may act at tissue sites removed from the site of bacterial growth
botulinum and cholera toxin
endotoxins
cell-associated substances that are structural components of the cell walls of GRAM NEGATIVE bacteria (capsule on LPS)
human pathogens can enter through (main sites)
-respiratory
-gastro-intestinal
-urinary or genital tracts
human pathogens can enter broken skin …
-by insect bites
-accidental surgical trauma
opportunistic pathogens are carried as
part of the normal human flora
acts as ready source of infection in compromised host
transmission of bordetella pertussis (more complex)
-respiratory
-requires contact with infectious material since the organisms survives poorly in environment
for pathogens where the primary source is environmental (infection follows ingestion) pathogens MUST
remain viable in different environmental conditions
the environment that can be colonised by a pathogen are critical in determining its reservoirs and potential modes of transmission
Psychrophile
grow best at low T
psychotroph
able to grow at low T but prefer moderate T
mesophile
most bacteria live in animals
thermophile
amount all thermophiles is wide variation in optimum and maximum T
growth rate curves for temperates effect
not symmetrical
-linear increase until optimum where the cell can’t function at high temps
cold shock adaptation
-inhibition of protein synthesis
-causes a growth lag known as the acclimation phase during this a group of cold shock proteins (Csp) are dramatically induced
chaperone
protein that check other proteins are folding correctly
cold shock proteins class 1
ensure ribosome/DNA/RNA synthesis is working correctly