Sketchy Microbiology: Corynebacterium Diphtheria

Corazon de la Corrida — Corynebacterium Diphtheria

Hint: Color

Purple Hues — Gram Positive Bacilli (non-spore forming)

Hint: Outside

Outside Arena — Aerobic / Facultative Anaerobe

Hint: People

People in the Arena — C. Diphtheriae ONLY has human reservoir

Blue / Red Moroccos — Bacteria is club shaped, “Y” or “V” shaped.

Metachromatic granules that stain with aniline dyes, Metachromatic granules will stain red and the rest of the cell will stain blue.

How many subunits does C. Diphtheriae have?

2 subunits:

A = active

B = binding

Man playing an accordion wearing a bow tie — Toxin causes Ribosylation of elongation factor 2 (EF-2) → inhibits ribosome function → inhibits protein synthesis → cell death

Grey cotton candy wrapped with a plastic wrap — This will lead to pseudomembranous exudate formation that will be found in the oral pharynx

What type of toxin effects exist?

1. Local Toxin Effect

   1. Pseudomembranous Phyringitis (Bulls Neck)

2. Systemic Toxin Effect

   1. Diphtheric Polyneuropathy

   2. Cardiomyopathy

Bull extending its neck with droplets coming out of the mouth and nose — C. Diphtheriae found in throat and tonsils because the infection is transmitted by respiratory droplets. Can cause airway obstruction and lymphopathy, this will cause bulls neck (thickening of the neck)

Heart shaped cape — Can lead to myocarditis like arrhythmias and heart block. Lethal effect of diphtheria

Man eating the sausage links — Will damage the myelin of nerve fibers → neuropathy

Television and kid laughing — Lab diagnosis:

1. Plate on Tellurite selective plates

2. Plate on Loeflers media (high serum content)

(tele like television and loughlers like laughing)

Spanish Teleprompter — Immigrants more likely to get this bc they’re not vaccinated

Bulls tongue sticking out and licking the matador — Eleks test: in-vitro assay that has antitoxin on it

Syringes in the bull — DPT vaccine

Green syringe — Toxoid vaccine

D = Diphtheriae (Toxoid)

P = Pertussis (Acellular component)

T = Tetanus (Toxoid)