Respiratory Pathogens (LA) Flashcards
(89 cards)
What is the function of the ciliated respiratory epithelium?
To propel mucus up the airway, thereby removing particulate material
What are three bacterial species that have a tropism for ciliated epithelium of the respiratory tract?
- Bordetella
- Mycoplasma
- Chlamydia
Which five bacteria contribute to the clinical signs of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) or ‘shipping fever’?
- Mannheimia hemolytica
- Histophilus somni
- Mycoplasma bovis
- Pasteurella multocida
- Bibersteinia trehalosi
What are the clinical signs of BRD?
- Anorexia
- Depression
- Coughing
- Nasal discharge
- Fever
- Crackles in lungs
What samples should you collect to test for BRD on necropsy?
- Lungs
- Trachea and bronchus
- Heart
- Spleen
- Kidney
- Liver
What diagnostics should you use to test for BRD?
- Thoracic ultrasonography
- Culture and susceptibility
- PCR
- Necropsy
What are the characteristics of Mannheimia haemolytica?
- Gram-negative
- Facultative anaerobe
- Commensal bacteria of oropharyngeal and GI tract
What does M. haemolytica cause other than BRD?
Bronchopneumonia and septicemia
Which bacterial species predisposes the host to pneumonic pasteurellosis?
Mycoplasma
What are the virulence factors of M. haemolytica?
- Leukotoxin: Induces lysis of leukocytes and platelets → this causes tissue damage from proteolytic enzymes released from leukocytes
- Capsular polysaccharide (CPS): Prevents phagocytosis
- Lipopolysaccharide (LPS): Stimulates cytokine releases and microvascular necrosis → this induces edema, hemorrhage, and inflammation
What is the pathogenesis of M. haemolytica?
- Viral infections/environmental stressors lead to shift in the mucosal-commensal relationship leading to colonization of the organism
- Spread to other animals by inhalation of fomites or infective droplets
- Bacteria deposit in the mucous layer of the mucociliary apparatus
- Toxins lead to mucociliary dysfunction causing pneumonia
What lesions do we see with M. haemolytica?
- Hemorrhagic fibrinonecrotic bronchopneumonia
- Septicemia with fibrinous pleuritis, pericarditis, and peritonitis
What are the characteristics of Histophilus somni?
- Gram-negative
- Colonizes mucosal surfaces
True or False: Histophilus somni is the sole species of the genus Histophilus
True
What are the virulence factors of Histophilus somni?
Virulence is poorly defined. H. somni lacks a capsule, exotoxins, fimbriae, or surface structures that explain its virulence.
What is the pathogenesis of H. somni?
- Intracellular survival and replication in neutrophils, macrophages and monocytes
- LPS phase variation may enable evasion of the immune system
- Adheres to endothelial cells → induces cytotoxic changes, vasculitis and induction of apoptosis → formation of fibrinoid thrombi
What clinical signs does Histophilus somni cause in cattle?
- Pleuritis
- Myocarditis (and sudden death)
- Thrombotic meningoencephalitis (CNS signs)
What lesions do you see with H. somni?
- Fibrinous pleuritis, pericarditis, and bronchopneumonia
- Focal myocardial lesions
- Polyarthritis
- Fibrinous laryngitis
What laboratory diagnostics should you use to test for Histophilus somni?
- Necropsy
- Culture and susceptibility
- PCR
What are some post-mortem findings of H. somni?
- Multiple organs with evidence of thrombus and fibrinous inflammation
- Necrotic myocardial sequestrum (left papillary muscle)
- Thrombotic meningoencephalitits
What are some characteristics of Mycoplasma species?
- Lack a cell wall
- Slow growing
- Fastidious
- Host-specific!
Mycoplasma has a tropism for which two body systems?
- Respiratory
- Urogenital
Mycoplasma needs cilia - it wants to attach to the ciliated epithelium of trachea, bronchi, bronchioles
What are some virulence factors of Mycoplasma?
- Adhesins
- Hydrogen peroxide and reactive oxygen species (ROS)
- Biofilm formation
What is the pathogenesis of Mycoplasma?
Adherence to host cells → direct damage to ciliated epithelium → promotes neutrophil and mononuclear cellular response → ciliostasis → progresses to pneumonia