Chapter 22 Microbial Infection of the Nervous System

Botulism

• Causative Agent

  • Clostridium botulinum

• Signs/Symptoms

  • Dizziness, blurred vision, abdominal pain, vomiting

    • Flaccid Paralysis: Death due to respiratory failure

• Pathogenesis

  • Bacteria grow in food → produces neurotoxin

  • Botulinum toxin → prevents muscle contraction (AB exotoxin)

• Epidemiology

  • Ingestion of toxin in food

• Treatment

  • Antitoxin

• Prevention:

  • Improved preservation Methods (STERILIZATION)

• Infant Botulism

  • Baby’s intestine colonized with C. botulium spores

Tetanus (Lock Jaw)

• Causative Agent

  • Clostridium Tetani

• Signs/Symptoms

  • Muscle Spasms

  • “Lock-jaw”

  • Death Due to suffocation

• Pathogenesis:

  • Tetanospasmin-blocks relaxation in muscles.

• Epidemiology:

  • Puncture wounds from nails, piercings, tattoos, IV-drug injection

• Treatment:

  • After wounds: TIG (antitoxin) + vaccine booster + metronidazole

• Prevention:

  • Vaccine

Intoxicaiton

The toxin is ingested.

• Signs/symptoms happen rapidly

Infection

Microbe replicates and releases toxins.

• Bacteria has to grow and produce toxins.

What is an antitoxin?

Antibodies that bind to the toxin that neutralizes them.

What type of inhibitor is Paxlovid?

It is a protease inhibitor for SARS COV2

It stops the protease from cleaving proteins made of RNA dependent RNA polymerase.

beta-lactamase is….

Invovled in the inactivation of antibiotics and is an exoenzyme.

Trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole act as…

Competitive inhibitors.

What is the function of reverse transcriptase inhibitor?

Prevents the production of viral DNA.