Bug Clues

Staphylococcus aureus

gold in color

forms grape-like clusters

small colony variants

toxic shock and fast food poisoning (golden grape tampons)

coagulase negative staphylococci

forms biofilms

UTIs and endocarditis

streptococcus pneumonia

#1 culprit for otitis media

capsule - slimey

high colonization in young kids

donut shaped colonies

green colonies

viridans group stretpococcus

#1 culprit for cavities

green colonies

streptococcus pyogenes (group A)

superantigen

strep throat

cocci in chains

large zone beta-hemolysis

streptococcus agalactiae (group B)

sialic acid

neonatal diseases

prevent activation of alternative pathway of complement cascade

cocci in pairs

small zone beta-hemolysis

milleri group strep

smells like butterscotch

beta-hemolytic

type of milleri group strep that causes brain abscesses

alpha-hemolytic

type of milleri group strep that causes liver abscesses

enterococcus

biofilm

wimpy pathogen but highly antibiotic resistant

UTIs

streptococcus bovis

similar to enterococcus but PYR-negative

"group D not E"

listeria

umbrella motility

withstands cold temperatures

bacillus

spore producers

anthrax

emetic toxin (quick puke)

spreading colony

beta-hemolytic and motile are safe

bacillus anthracis

tenacious colony (egg white-like)

corynebacterium

"along for the ride"

buds at weird angle

diphtheria

nasopharyngeal membrane causes respiratory obstruction

moraxella catarrhalis

no sugar metabolism

hockey puck

"kissing cousin" of streptococcus pneumoniae

-otitis media

-high colonization in children

Neisseria gonorrhoeae

only found in humans

can be identified just from gram stain

no blood growth

glucose-positive

Neisseria meningitidis

only found in humans

glucose and maltose-positive

haemophilus influenzae

secondary infection after virus

typable have capsules

satellite staphylococcus

otitis media

gardnerella vaginalis

infection occurs when there is depletion of lactobacillus (produces lactic acid which keeps pH low)

commensal until it overgrows

clue cell

pasturella

dog and cat bites

susceptible to penicillin

enterobacterales

reduces nitrates to nitrites

escherichia coli

klebsiella

enterobacter

lactose fermenting enterobacterales

Streptococcus pneumoniae

Moraxella catarrhalis

Haemophilus influenzae

three main bugs that cause otitis media

SPICE bugs

turn on beta-lactamase when exposed to beta-lactams

require higher class antibiotics

Serratia

Providencia

Morganella

Citrobacter

Enterobacter

SPICE bugs

klebsiella

ain't got no flagella

serratia

DNAase-positive

salmonella

shigella

Enterobacterales that are GI pathogens

Non-typhoidal Salmonella

decarboxylates lysine, arginine, and ornithine

Co-#1 bacterial GI bug

salmonella

phenylalanine negative

H2S-positive

non-lactose fermentation

growth on selective agar

Typhi Salmonella

carboxylates lysine only

crescent ring of H2S

Typhoid fever

Shigella

H2S negative

urease-negative

phenylalanine negative

ain't got no flagella (nonmotile)

Four F's: fomites, fingers, fleas, feces (day cares)

campylobacter jejuni

microaerophilic

watery colonies

grows at 42C

gull-winged bacilli

Co-#1 bacterial GI bug

vibrio

curved GNB

tolerates 6% NaCl

TCBS agar

vibrio cholerae

turns yellow on TCBS agar because of sucrose fermentation

helicobacter pylori

Barry Marshall and gastritis

only abx cured cancer

pseudomonas aeruginosa

biofilm

CF patients

metallic

smells like grape Kool-Aid

grows at 42C

burn wounds and simmer's ear

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

yellowish

DNAse-positive

grandma's basement odor

secondary to farm accidents

oxidizes maltose

acinetobacter

biofilms

non-motile

either susceptible to everything or resistant to everything

Legionella pneumophila

resides in phagosome

carbolfuchsin counterstain

growth on BCYE

Bordetella pertussis

adults often carry and spread to kids

very low ID

whooping cough (100-day cough)

must sample with nasopharyngeal swab

humans only reservoir

Chlamydia trachomatis

Wedding crasher: must invade host cell

18 different MOMPs

Most common form of preventable blindness (trachoma)

Women have more reported cases

humans only reservoir

Chlamydia pneumoniae

humans only reservoir

community-acquired pneumonia (10-15%)

Chlamydia psittaci

found in birds (parrots, ducks, turkeys)

mollicutes

smallest free-living microbes capable of reproduction

No cell wall (tri-layer cell membrane)

Walking pneumonia

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Resistant to decolorization (AFB)

Have special treatment/screening process

Slow growers

Multi-drug resistance

Jerry Garcia

Francisella tularensis

causes tularemia

reservoir: rabbits

transmitted by tick

slow grower on chocolate

Rickettsia rickettsii

causes Rocky Mountian spotted fever

do NOT culture (BSL-3)

triad of symptoms

Ehrlichia chaffeensis

causes monocytic ehrlichiosis (more severe)

Missouri

from "lone star tick"

Anaplasma phagocytophilum

causes granulocytic ehrlichiosis

NE and upper midwest

from deer tick

Borrelia burgdorferi

causes Lyme Disease

spirochete

reservoir: mice and deer

transmitted via tick bite

BSK medium

Treponema pallidum

causes syphilis

cannot grow in lab

STDs

humans only reservoir

can go dormant for years