Microbiology: Bacterial, Viral, and Serological Key Concepts

Lancefield typing

Serological test to differentiate species of strep based on C antigens.

Clostridium botulinum

Causes flaccid paralysis and blocks acetylcholine.

Bacillus anthracis

Has a protein capsule.

Bacillus cereus

Commonly causes food poisoning in rice.

Clostridium perfringens

Causes gas gangrene.

Clostridioides difficile

Causes antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis (super diarrhea).

Clostridium tetani

Causes spastic paralysis (tetanus).

Enterococcus species

Causes nosocomial UTIs and is resistant to Vancomycin (VRE).

Streptococcus pyogenes

Causes scarlet and rheumatic fever; Group A.

Streptococcus pneumoniae

Sensitive to optochin; polysaccharide capsule makes it virulent.

Serratia marcescens

Major cause of hospital UTIs; releases prodigiosin.

Viridans streptococci

Associated with dental caries.

Streptococcus agalactiae

Positive for CAMP; Group B; causes neonatal meningitis/sepsis.

Staphylococcus aureus

Produces Protein A and heat-stable enterotoxin.

Staphylococcus epidermidis

Most common bacteria on human skin.

Listeria monocytogenes

More dangerous for pregnant women; comes from contaminated meat or milk.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Lacks a cell wall.

Corynebacterium diphtheriae

Causes diphtheria; toxin makes a grey pseudomembrane in the throat.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Infects a third of the earth's population.

M. Leprae

Causes leprosy/Hansen's disease; found on armadillos.

M. ulcerans

Causes Buruli's ulcers.

Cutibacterium (Propionibacterium) acnes

Causes acne.

Nocardia

Found in soil; mostly affects immunocompromised individuals.

Actinomyces

Anaerobic; causes lumpy jaw.

Brucella melitensis

Associated with unpasteurized dairy products; causes undulating fever.

Bordetella pertussis

Causes whooping cough.

Bacteroides fragilis

Anaerobe part of the gut.

Borrelia recurrentis

Causes relapsing fever; transmitted by lice.

Yersinia pestis

Causes bubonic plague.

Pasteurella multocida

Causes fowl cholera.

Francisella tularensis

Causes tularemia or rabbit/tick/deer fly fever.

Legionella pneumophila

Associated with contaminated water droplets/aerosols.

Haemophilus influenzae

Causes otitis media and epiglottitis.

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

Causes aggressive periodontitis (gum disease).

Porphyromonas gingivalis

Strongly linked to chronic periodontitis.

Prevotella intermedia

Causes ANUG (acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis).

HIV

Involves a life cycle with factors leading to AIDS.

Poxviruses

Includes smallpox and molluscum contagiosum; causes scarring.

Papillomaviruses

Causes warts and cervical cancer.

Adenoviruses

Causes flu-like symptoms; common in college and military.

Hepadnaviruses

Includes Hepatitis B virus.

Caliciviruses

Includes Norovirus; associated with cruise ships/schools.

Coronaviruses

Includes colds, SARS, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2; causes COVID-19.

Retroviruses

Includes HIV and oncogenic viruses like HTLV-1 and -2.

Orthomyxoviruses

Includes influenza; characterized by antigenic shift (pandemic) and drift (gradual). Myxo means mucus

Bunyaviruses

Includes Hantavirus; causes Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

Reoviruses

Includes Rotavirus and Coltivirus; Coltivirus causes Colorado tick fever.

Three types of antigens that are used to serotype enteric bacteria

H, O, and K

General characteristics of a coliform

Enteric gram-negative bacteria

Ferment lactose

Intestinal tracts of humans and animals

Burkholderia mallei

infects equines (horses and the like)

human infection is rare

General characteristics and properties of viruses, viroids, and prions

Virus- DNA and protein

Viroid- small naked RNA with plants

Prion- no nucleic acid

Arbovirus and examples

-Spreads through arthropods (insects)

-Mosquitos are insane

-Ticks I guess

Paramyxoviruses

Croup or seal bark cough

Rhabdoviruses

Negri bodies

Bullet-shaped

Filoviruses

Ebola/Marburg

Deadly hemorrhagic fevers

Arenaviruses

Sandy

Flavivruses

Arboviruses but not Hep C

Togaviruses

EEE, WEE, VEE, Rubella

Hepevirus

Hepatitis E

Picornaviruses

Coxsackie- Hand-foot-and-mouth disease

Parvoviruses

ssDNA (single stranded)

Human Herpes Viruses (HHV) 1

Cold Virus

HHV 2

Sores on genitalia

HHV 3

Chickenpox/shingles

HHV 4

Infections mononucleosis and burkitt's lymphoma

HHV 5

Owl's eye inclusions

HHV 6/7

Roseola

HHV 8

Kaposi's sarcoma

Burkholderia pseudomallei

Meliodosis, vietnam vets

Bartonella quintana

Trench fever

B henselae

Lumphadetis cat scratch disease

B baciliformis

carrion disease and sand flies

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pyocyanin, burn victims and cystic fibrosis

Salmonella typhi

Gall bladder

Salmonella enterica

Inflammatory diarrea, reptiles/poultry

E Coli

part of normal gut, ferment lactose, toxin-mediated

Neisseria gonorrhoeae

STI gonorrhea, silver nitrate

Shigella

Shigellosis (dysentery), low infectious dose

Proteus Mirabilis

UTIs, Kidney stones, Urease, swarms

Vibrio cholera

cholera

V parahaemolyticus

raw food and halophile

V vulnificus

open wounds in the sea

Leptospira interrogans

animal urine

Borellia burgdoferi

spread by ticks, bull's eye rash

Camplylocbacter jejuni

Most common cause of bacterial gastroentertis

Helicobacter pylori

peptic ulcers (duodenal)

Treponema

STI, syphilis, hutchinson's triad