Spirochetes, Mycoplasma/Ureaplasma, and Chlamydia

Question 1

What are the three genre of spirochetes?

Answer 1

treponema, borrelia, and leptospira

Question 2

What are the 5 species of treponema we discussed?

Answer 2

treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum, pinta, bejel, yaws, and non-pathogenic treponemes

Question 3

What is treponema pallidum?

Answer 3

causative agent of syphilis

Question 4

How is treponema pallidum transmitted?

Answer 4

it is sexually transmitted

Question 5

How do we treat treponema pallidum?

Answer 5

penicillin!!

Question 6

How is treponema pallidum tested for?

Answer 6

direct diagnosis by dark field examination of fluid from lesions (visualize living, moving spirochetes); direct fluorescent antibody tests; serologic screening tests; antibody tests, and reverse-sequence testing

Question 7

What are pinta, bejel, and yaws?

Answer 7

they are treponemal diseases of importance in developing countries/continents

Question 8

What are symptoms of pinta, bejel, and yaws?

Answer 8

primarily skin lesions

Question 9

Are pinta, bejel, and yaws STDs?

Answer 9

NOOOO

Question 10

What are non-pathogenic treponemes?

Answer 10

normal flora in oral cavity, genital regions, colon and rectum

Question 11

What can borrelia cause?

Answer 11

relapsing fever and lymes disease

Question 12

What is the relapsing fever carried by?

Answer 12

body lice and soft-bodied ticks

Question 13

What is Lyme’s disease caused by?

Answer 13

Borrelia burgdorferi

Question 14

What is Lymes disease transmitted by?

Answer 14

nymph stage of hard ticks; deer and white-footed mouse are reservoirs

Question 15

What is a signature symptoms of Lyme’s disease? Other symptoms?

Answer 15

a target lesion at the site of bite; symptoms include “flu-like” illness that may progress to involve skin, nervous system, heart or joints

Question 16

How can we diagnose Lymes disease?

Answer 16

serologic diagnosis

Question 17

What is leptospirosis?

Answer 17

symptoms from mild “flu-like” illness to fatal renal failure (caused by leptospira)

Question 18

What are the leptospira reservoirs?

Answer 18

wild and domestic animals, especially RATS

Question 19

How is leptospira transmitted?

Answer 19

it lives in the renal tubules of infected humans/animals making urine contaminated soil, food, and water the mode of transmission

Question 20

What is mycoplasma/ureaplasma?

Answer 20

an organism that causes bovine pleural pneumonia; can pass through filters

Question 21

What are mycoplasma’s characteristics?

Answer 21

1) pleomorphic organisms that do not possess cell wall
2) smallest prokaryotes capable of self-replication
3) resistant to cell-wall active antibiotics like penicillins and cephalosporins
4) can’t be gram stained

Question 22

How do we cultivate mycoplasma?

Answer 22

they are slow growing, highly fastidious, aerobes requiring complex media for growth

Question 23

What are the 3 common mycoplasma species?

Answer 23

M. pneumoniae, M. hominis, and M. genitalium

Question 24

Where is M. pneumoniae found?

Answer 24

upper and lower respiratory pathogen; found in young adults on college campuses, military barracks, and nursing homes

Question 25

What can M. pneumoniae cause?

Answer 25

"walking pneumonia"; usually self-limiting

Question 26

How do we diagnose M. pneumoniae?

Answer 26

serology, PCR, culture can take 5 to 21 days

Question 27

How do we treat M. pneumoniae?

Answer 27

erythromycin and tetracycline

Question 28

Where is M. hominis found?

Answer 28

it colonizes the genital tract of 50% of healthy adults

Question 29

What does M. hominis?

Answer 29

upper genitourinary tract infections in females, salpingitis, pyelonephritis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and postpartum fevers

Question 30

How do we treat M. hominis?

Answer 30

tetracycline and spectinomycin

Question 31

What can M. genitalium cause?

Answer 31

genital tract infections including urethritis, cervicitis, endometritis, and pelvic inflammatory disease

Question 32

How do we treat M. genitalium?

Answer 32

azithromycin

Question 33

Where does the ureaplasma species reside?

Answer 33

the male and female genital tracts

Question 34

What can ureaplasma cause?

Answer 34

non-gonococcal urethritis and prostatitis in men and upper genitourinary tract infections in women; associated with reproduction disorders and low birth-weight infants with respiratory disease

Question 35

What are the characteristics of the chlamydia spp?

Answer 35

1) resemble gram-negative rods 2) obligate intracellular parasites (can't generate ATP) 3) prefer mucous membranes 4) can be cultivated in susceptible tissue (cell culture)

Question 36

What are the three main chlamydia spp?

Answer 36

C. trachomatis, C. psittaci, and C. pneumoniae

Question 37

How does C. trachomatis represent?

Answer 37

leading cause of preventable blindness in some countries due to causing conjunctivitis; LGV serogroups L1-3 cause STDs; serogroups A and K cause cervical and urethral infections, PID, infertility, and premature/still birth

Question 38

How do we treat C. trachomatis?

Answer 38

tetracycline and erythromycin

Question 39

What is C. psittaci?

Answer 39

organism found in wild birds; disease can activate if passed to human hands

Question 40

How do we treat C. psittaci?

Answer 40

erythromycin and tetracycline

Question 41

What is C. pneumoniae?

Answer 41

recently recognized pathogen that is cause of 10% of pneumonia cases and 5% of bronchitis and sinusitis; possible involvement in asthma and CAD

Question 42

How do we treat C. pneumoniae?

Answer 42

tetracycline and erythromycin