Bios242 Microbiology Practice Flashcards

Vocabulary terms and definitions from Week 5, 6, and 7 Bios242 lecture notes, covering immunology and infectious diseases.

Pharyngitis (Streptococcus pyogenes)

Characterized by sore throat and difficulty swallowing, often accompanied by fever, malaise, and headache; may progress to scarlet or rheumatic fever or acute glomerulonephritis.

Influenza Signs/Symptoms

Sore throat, nasal discharge, cough, and myalgia; distinguished from the common cold by a sudden fever.

Tuberculosis Signs/Symptoms

Initially limited to a minor cough and mild fever; secondary symptoms are more severe.

Whooping Cough Signs/Symptoms

Runny nose followed by a persistent cough with whoops; coughing can burst blood vessels in the eyes and brain and cause vomiting or seizures.

Gastric or Peptic Ulcers

Lesions in either the mucosa of the stomach or the uppermost portion of the small intestine (duodenal ulcers) characterized by sharp or burning abdominal pain.

Shiga-toxin producing E. coli

Causes mild gastroenteritis with fever, bloody diarrhea, and hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Traveler’s diarrhea

Characterized by watery diarrhea, low-grade fever, nausea, and vomiting.

Chlostridioides difficile

Symptoms include watery, foul-smelling bowel movements; severe cases can result in pseudomembranous colitis.

Vaginitis (Candida albicans)

Vaginal inflammation with itching, burning, and white curd-like discharge; urination and sexual intercourse can be painful.

USPHS Untreated Syphilis Study at Tuskegee

A study starting in 1932 that followed 399 African-American men to observe the natural progression of syphilis; penicillin G was withheld from the men even after its 1943 discovery until the study ended in 1972.

Primary Syphilis

Characterized by a hard, non-painful, genital chancre that disappears after $3\text{--}6$ weeks.

Secondary Syphilis

Characterized by a sore throat, headache, mild fever, malaise, myalgia, and a rash lasting several weeks or months.

Tertiary Syphilis

Symptoms include dementia, blindness, paralysis, and gumma lesions.

Necrotizing fasciitis

Intensely painful, hot, sunburn-like rash followed by fever and muscle aches; can lead to low blood pressure, mental confusion, and coma.

Chickenpox

Characterized by a slight fever and a vesicular rash on the back and trunk that spreads to the face, neck, and limbs.

Shingles

Lesions localized within a band of skin on one side of the body.

Smallpox

Fever precedes a rash that starts in the pharynx and spreads to the face and extremities; the rash changes from macular to pustular.

Measles

Characterized by fever, dry cough, conjunctivitis, Koplik's spots in the mouth, and a red maculopapular rash.

Trachoma

Chronic infection of the epithelial cells of the eye leading to chronic inflammatory damage and scarring.

Meningitis (bacterial)

Characterized by sudden high fever, intense meningeal inflammation, and an increased number of white blood cells in the cerebrospinal fluid.

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Destruction of brain tissue leading to insomnia, weight loss, memory failure, irrational behavior, and loss of muscle control.

Rabies (Furious vs. Dumb)

Furious rabies involves agitation, seizures, and hydrophobia; Dumb rabies involves paralysis and stupor; both proceed to coma and death.

Tetanus

Causes tightening of jaw and neck muscles and spastic paralysis; death results from respiratory arrest.

Botulism

Characterized by flaccid paralysis, double vision, dizziness, and difficulty swallowing and breathing.

Sepsis

Symtoms include fever, altered mental state, chills, nausea, and vomiting; can rapidly progress to septic shock.

Endocarditis

Characterized by fever, fatigue, malaise, difficulty breathing, tachycardia, and murmurs.

Lyme Disease

Progresses through three stages: a bull’s-eye rash (erythema migrans), neurological symptoms, and severe arthritis.

First line of defense

Physical, chemical, and resident microbiota barriers that prevent microbes from entering sterile regions of the body.

Second line of defense

Cellular and chemical systems that act if microbes get past the first line of defense.

Third line of defense

Host defenses unique for each microbe, including T cells and B cells.

Neutrophil

A leukocyte making up $.55\text{--}90\%.$ of white blood cells; the first to arrive at infection sites for phagocytosis and destruction of bacteria.

Eosinophil

Cells with granules containing peroxidase and lysozyme; elevation occurs in helminth infections and allergic reactions.

Basophil

Granules contains histamine and other chemicals that mediate inflammation.

Monocyte

Differentiates into macrophages in tissues; the second cells to arrive at an infection site.

Interferon

A protein produced by virus-infected cells that binds to nearby receptors to block viral replication.

Complement system

A system that destroys bacteria and enveloped viruses via inflammation, phagocytosis, and membrane attack complexes (MAC).

Antigen

Cells, chemicals, or particles that activate B-cells or T-cells and stimulate resistance to an infection.

Epitope

The specific region on an antigen to which an antibody binds.

Hapten

Small molecules (like drugs) that only elicit an immune response when attached to a larger carrier protein.

T-cell maturation

Lymphocytes originate in the red bone marrow and travel to the thymus for maturation.

CD8 Cytotoxic T-cell Activation

Activated by an antigen complex presented on a phagocytic cell surface and interleukin-2 secreted by T helper cells.

B-cell maturation

B-cells originate and mature in the red bone marrow.

IgA

Found in secretions (breast milk, saliva, tears, mucus) as dimers or in blood as monomers; provides passive protection to newborns.

IgM

The largest isotype and first antibody produced in an immune response; exists as a pentamer held together by a joining chain.

Primary antibody response

Occurs at first exposure; involves a $7\text{--}10$-day delay before IgM production, followed by IgG after $12\text{--}14$ days.

Secondary antibody response

Also called an anamnestic response; memory cells immediately produce high levels of IgG antibodies upon re-exposure.

Natural active immunity

Occurs in response to an infection, leading to the creation of antibodies and memory lymphocytes.

Artificial passive immunity

Occurs when administered antibodies (like antiserum for snake venom) provide protection without acquiring immune memory.