Clin Med Infectious Disease 1

What is an infection?

The process in which an organism has a parasitic relationship with a host

What are prions?

Prions are corrupted proteins that are folded abnormally

What happens when prions and normal proteins come in contact?

Normal folded proteins (PrPc), prion causes a chain reaction of abnormally folded proteins (PrPsc).

Abnormal folded chain of proteins leads to dysfunction

What do Prions cause?

Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies

What are Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies?

They are uncurable, fatal chronic degenerative disease of brain

What are examples of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies?

Cruetzfeldt-Jakob Disease and kuru

How are prions transmitted?

Coming into contact with infected tissue

What would be examples of infected tissue causing prions?

Ingesting animal brain, blood products, or contaminated surgical instruments

Are viruses living or non-living?

Non-living

What are viruses characteristics?

Subcellular, made of only nucleic acids and proteins, and they are obligate intracellular parasites (can only replicate in a host)

How are viruses spread?

Inject the virus contents through the tails. Causing infection and dysfunction.

What is this a picture of?

Virus

What is this a picture of?

Virus

What is this a picture of?

Virus

What is this a picture of?

Virus

Do we typically use traditional antibiotics for a virus? If not, what do we use?

No, we use anti-virals

Are bacteria living organisms?

Yes

Bacteria characteristics

Single celled, cell wall, grow independently (most of the time), grown on a culture medium (most), contain both RNA and DNA. They have no nucleus.

Bacterial Morphology

??

Bacteria is classified by

Morphology - shapes

Colony types

Gram staining (+/-) - be able to see with stain

Aerobic/anaerobic

Facultative - anaerobic without oxygen

Obligate - harmed by oxygen

What is the shape of bacilli?

Long, oblong, look like Cheeto puffs

What is this a picture of?

Bacilli

What is this an image of?

Bacilli

What is this an image of?

Bacilli

What is the shape of spirochetes?

Spiral-like or worm

What is this an image of?

Spirochetes

What is this an image of?

Spirochetes

What is this an image of?

Spirochetes

What is the shape of cocci?

Cocci is a sphere or circle

What is the colonization?

The grouping together

Streptococci

In strings/strands

Associated with strep

Staphylococci

clumps

Associated with staph infections

What is this an image on?

Cocci

What is this an image of?

Streptococci

What is this an image of?

Staphylococci

Mycoplasma Characteristics

NO CELL WALL, Grow on culture medium, smaller, DNA and RNA, Creates ATP and proteins independently

What does mycoplasma cause?

Atypical pneumonia or STI

Rickettsiae Characteristics

Obligate intracellular parasites - unstable cell membrane, and cannot be grown on traditional culture media

Insect and animal vectors

Cell wall

DNA and RNA

Create ATP and Protein Independency

What does Rickettsiae cause?

Rocky Mountain spotted fever and typhus

Chlamydia Characteristics

Obligate intracellular parasites - can't make ATP by itself

Cell wall

Create Protein independency

Need Host for ATP

DNA and RNA

What does Chlamydia cause?

STI and pneumonia

Fungi Characteristics

Cell wall

Nuclear membranes

Yeast vs. molds

What does fungi cause?

infections in skin, GI, GU tracts

Protozoa Characteristics?

Motile

Single celled organisms

Nucleus

What does protozoa cause in the US?

Giardia and trichomonas

What does protozoa cause in developing countries?

Malaria, sleeping sickness, amebiasis, leishmaniasis