Ch 17

T/F: The normal microbiota of the nervous system is extremely diverse.

False

Which of the following are bacterial?

• Neiserria meningitidis

• Streptococcus pneumoniae

• Haemophilus influenzae

• Listeria monocytogenes

• Streptococcus agalactiae

How is neonatal meningitis caused by S. agalactiae prevented?

Screening and treating towards the end of pregnancy

What type of organism is responsible for most cases of meningitis?

virus

T/F: Bacterial meningitis is a very severe and often fatal form of meningitis.

True

Why is neonatal meningitis difficult to diagnose initially?

• the signs/symptoms are initially non-specific and subtle

• newborns have an immature immune system

• lumbar punctures are difficult to perform in unstable infants

T/F: Viral meningitis is less severe than bacterial and is typically self limiting.

True

T/F: Viral meningitis is usually spread by droplet contact.

True

meningococcemia

a complication of N. meninigtidis that causes organ damage and death

bacterial endotoxin in the blood

causes meningococcemia

What is a unique characteristic of the petechiae caused by meningitis?

the rash does not disappear when pressure is applied to the skin

How do you diagnose meningitis?

lumbar puncture

T/F: Spinal fluid in bacterial meningitis is usually clear while it is milky looking in viral cases.

False

Enteroviruses

group of viruses typically responsible for viral meningitis

What term does your textbook equate with viral meningitis?

aseptic meningitis

meningoencephalitis

inflammation of the meninges and brain

encephalitis

inflammation of the brain

Which types of microorganisms cause encephalitis?

• protozoa

• viruses

• prions

arbovirus

viruses spread by insect bites, especially mosquitos

reservoir for West Nile Virus

birds

What two organisms does Toxoplasma cycle between in its natural life cycle?

rats and cats

What is a major way that people can come into contact with Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy?

contact with cat feces while changing the litter box

T/F: Toxoplasmosis can be transmitted vertically from mother to child.

True

creutzfeldt-jakob disease (CJD)

a prion disease that affects humans

How does an individual acquire a prion disease?

• contaminated meat

• parenteral transmission

• genetic inheritance

T/F: Prion diseases are also called spongiform encephalopathies because they create holes in brain tissue.

True

Rabies

a slow progressive fatal encephalitis

Which of the following are viral?

• Zika

• Poliomyelitis

Which of the following are bacterial?

• Tetanus

• Botulism

How is rabies treated?

post-exposure vaccination

Which of the following is the vector for the Zika virus?

mosquitos

T/F: Zika virus can be transmitted during sexual intercourse.

True

reservoir for polio

humans

nervous system

part of the body the polio virus targets

post polio syndrome

progressive muscle deterioration in polio survivors decades after infection

The Salk polio vaccine is ____ while the Sabin vaccine is ____.

inactivated injection, live-attenuated oral

Why did the US stop offering the Sabin vaccine in the 2000s?

The Salk vaccine is safer because it cannot undergo reversion to virulence

What is another name for tetanus?

lockjaw

tetanospasmin

Clostridium tetani secretion that blocks relaxation pathways on opposing sets of muscles

reservoir for Clostridium tetani

animal feces in soil

T/F: Tetanus is a contagious disease.

False

Which of the following is not considered an infectious illness but is a case of food poisoning?

botulism

What is a characteristic of the Clostridium bacteria that restricts its growth?

it is an obligate anaerobe

honey

Infant botulism is typically linked to the consumption of this food.