Microbiology Lecture: Microbial Diseases of the Skin, Nervous, Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Digestive, and Reproductive Systems

These flashcards provide a comprehensive review of vocabulary and core concepts regarding microbial pathogens, the diseases they cause, and their signature symptoms as discussed in the lecture transcript.

Staphylococci

Spherical, gram-positive bacteria that form clusters and produce coagulase to clot fibrin in the blood.

Staphylococcus epidermidis

A coagulase-negative, healthcare-associated pathogen known for producing biofilms on catheters.

Staphylococcus aureus

A coagulase-positive pathogen that forms golden yellow colonies and secretes toxins that kill phagocytic cells and cause sepsis.

Toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1)

A toxin that enters the bloodstream to cause fever, vomiting, shock, and organ failure.

Group A streptococci (GAS)

Also known as Streptococcus pyogenes, these gram-positive cocci in chains have virulence factors like M protein, hyaluronidase, and streptokinases.

Necrotizing fasciitis

A flesh-eating disease caused by Streptococcus pyogenes where Exotoxin A acts as a superantigen to rapidly destroy tissue.

Pyocyanin

A pigment produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa that results in blue-green pus.

Buruli ulcer

A deep, damaging ulcer caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, which produces the toxin mycolactone.

Papillomavirus

The pathogen responsible for warts (papillomas) and some types of skin and cervical cancers, specifically HPV 16 and 18.

Reye syndrome

A severe complication of chickenpox involving vomiting and brain dysfunction; the risk is increased by aspirin use.

Shingles (herpes zoster)

A reactivation of the latent varicella-zoster virus that moves along peripheral nerves to the skin, typically limited to one side of the body.

Koplik spots

Red spots on the oral mucosa that serve as a diagnostic symptom for Measles (rubeola).

Congenital rubella syndrome

Fetal damage including deafness, heart defects, and mental retardation occurring in $35\%$ of cases when a mother is infected with rubella during pregnancy.

Dermatomycoses

Fungal infections also known as tineas or ringworm that metabolize keratin and colonize hair, nails, and the epidermis.

Candidiasis

An overgrowth of Candida albicans, a yeast that forms pseudohyphae and causes thrush in the oral cavity or vaginitis.

Pediculosis

An infestation of lice (Pediculus humanus) that feed on host blood and attach eggs (nits) to hair shafts.

Trachoma

The leading cause of blindness worldwide, caused by Chlamydia trachomatis which creates permanent scarring that abrades the cornea.

Negri bodies

Diagnostic inclusion bodies formed in the brain stem of individuals infected with the rabies virus.

Tetanospasmin

A neurotoxin produced by Clostridium tetani that blocks the relaxation pathway in muscles, causing muscle spasms.

African Trypanosomiasis

Also known as sleeping sickness, caused by Trypanosoma brucei and transmitted by the tsetse fly; it evades the immune system via antigenic variation.

Rheumatic fever

An autoimmune complication of Streptococcus pyogenes infection that can cause inflammation of heart valves and Sydenham’s chorea.

Anthrax

Caused by Bacillus anthracis, a gram-positive, endospore-forming aerobic rod found in soil that primarily affects grazing animals.

Lyme Disease

A tickborne disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi characterized by a 'bull's-eye' rash in the first phase and potential arthritis in later stages.

Burkitt's Lymphoma

A tumor of the jaw caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (HHV-4), often associated with immune suppression from malaria.

Chagas Disease

American Trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan transmitted by the triatomid bug that can cause heart damage.

Diphtheria

A respiratory infection caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae characterized by a tough, grayish membrane of fibrin and dead tissue in the throat.

Pertussis toxin

A toxin produced by Bordetella pertussis that enters the bloodstream and helps shut down the ciliary escalator.

Antigenic drift

Minor antigenic changes in the HA and NA spikes of the influenza virus that allow it to elude some host immunity.

Antigenic shift

Significant changes in the influenza virus involving the reassortment of the eight RNA segments, allowing it to evade most immunity.

Shiga toxin

A potent toxin produced by the genus Shigella that causes damage to the intestinal wall.

Typhoid Fever

A systemic infection caused by Salmonella typhi where bacteria spread through the body in phagocytes; $1-3\%$ of patients become chronic carriers.

Rice water stools

A characteristic symptom of Cholera (Vibrio cholerae) where patients lose $12$ to $20$ liters of fluid per day.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)

A double-stranded DNA enveloped virus that uses reverse transcriptase; spherical and filamentous particles in serum lack DNA but contain HBsAg.

Giardiasis

A prolonged diarrheal disease caused by the flagellated protozoan Giardia intestinalis, which attaches to the intestinal wall.

Hydatid Disease

A condition caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus where ingested eggs develop into large cysts in the liver, lungs, or brain.

Salpingitis

The most serious form of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) involving the infection of the uterine tubes, which can lead to infertility.

Syphilis

A sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum, progressing through primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary stages.

AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome)

The final stage of HIV infection, defined by a CD4+ T cell count below $200$ cells/$\mu l$ and the loss of immune function.