Bacterial Pathogens

Acinetobacter baumannii

gram-negative, “iraqibacter”, uses type IV pilus

Bordetella pertussis

gram-negative, causes whooping cough in humans, uses type IV secretion system, uses type 1 secretion system, pertussis toxin disrupts signaling pathways of the immune system

Campylobacter spp.

gram-negative, causes Campylobacteriosis, can be monotrichous or amphitrichous

Chlamydia trachomatis

gram-negative, causes chlamydia, uses type III secretion system

Escherichia coli

gram-negative, can cause UTIs or intestinal infections, uses type III secretion system, typically peritrichous, has fimbriae

Haemophilus ducreyi

gram-negative, causes chancroid, contains LOS

Haemophilus influenzae

gram-negative, can cause meningitis or pneumonae or bacteremia, contains LOS

Helicobacter pylori

gram-negative, causes stomach ulcers, typically lophotrichous, uses type IV secretion system

Klebsiella pneumoniae

gram-negative, causes pneumonia or meningitis, has fimbriae

Legionella pneumophila

gram-negative, causes pneumonia (legionnaire’s disease), uses type IV secretion system

Neisseria gonorrhoeae

gram-negative, causes gonorrhea, has LOS, uses type IV secretion system, has fimbriae, capsule impairs phagocytosis by limiting attachment of white blood cells

Neisseria meningitidis

gram-negative, causes meningococcal disease, has LOS, uses type IV secretion system, capsule impairs phagocytosis by limiting attachment of white blood cells

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

gram-negative, typically a hospital acquired infection, uses type III secretion system, uses type VI secretion system

Salmonella spp.

gram-negative, causes salmonella infection, can be peritrichous or cephalotrichous or amphitrichous, uses type III secretion system, inject virulence factors via T3SS to prevent lysosome fusion with the phagosome

Serratia marcescens

gram-negative, commonly causes hospital acquired infections, sticky/slimy characteristics from glycocalyx

Shigella spp.

gram-negative, causes shigella infection (diarrhea and vomiting), uses type III secretion system, injects virulence factors via T3SS to escape the phagolysosome and spread to neighboring cells

Vibrio cholerae

gram-negative, causes cholera, uses type 1 secretion system, uses type III secretion system, uses type VI secretion system, can be monotrichous or lophotrichous, cholera toxin disrupts intestinal osmotic balances resulting in rapid fluid loss

Yersinia pestis

gram-negative, causes the plague, uses type III secretion system, injects virulence factors via T3SS to prevent ingestion

Treponema pallidum

gram-negative diderm, causes syphyllis, no LPS/LOS, spirochetal endoflagella

Borrelia burgdorferi

gram-negative diderm, causes lyme disease, no LPS/LOS, spirochetal endoflagella

Bacillus anthracis

gram-positive, causes anthrax, can produce endospores, anthrax toxin disrupts signaling pathways of the immune system

Bacillus cereus

gram-positive, causes food poisoning, can produce endospores

Clostridium botulinum

gram-positive, causes botulism (can’t contract anything), can produce endospores, botulinum toxin inhibits fusion of vesicles containing excitatory acetylcholine neurotransmitters, deadliest toxin

Clostridium perfringens

gram-positive, causes gangreen, can produce endospores, releases alpha toxin to disrupt white blood cells

Clostridium tetani

gram-positive, causes tetanus, can produce endospores, tetanus toxin inhibits fusion of vesicles containing inhibitor neurotransmitters, causes spastic paralysis (all muscles contarcted)

Corynebacterium diphtheriae

gram-positive, causes diphtheria (thick grey/white coating on back of throat, fever, swollen glands), Diphtheria toxin inhibits RNA translation (targets ribosomes)

Listeria monocytogenes

gram-positive, causes listeriosis,

Staphylococcus aureus

gram-positive, causes skin and nose infections

Streptococcus mutans

gram-positive, causes dental plaque, M-protein is strongly anti-phagocytic and destroys complement proteins, alpha hemolytic (partial hemolysis)

Streptococcus pneumoniae

gram-positive, causes pneumococcal disease, uses type IV secretion system, has 85 serotypes based on differences in glycocalyxes, M-protein is strongly anti-phagocytic and destroys complement proteins, alpha hemolytic (partial hemolysis)

Streptococcus pyogenes

gram-positive, causes strep throat/necrotizing fasciitis/rheumatic fever, uses type IV secretion system, M-protein is strongly anti-phagocytic and destroys complement proteins, beta hemolytic (complete hemolysis)

Mycoplasma hominis

cell wall-less, causes urethritis and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)

Mycoplasma pneumoniae

cell wall-less, causes pneumonia

Ureaplasma urealyticum

cell wall-less, causes ureaplasma (sexually transmitted)

Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare

acid-fast, causes MAC lung disease, waxes resist destruction by digestive enzymes

Mycobacterium bovis

acid-fast, causes tuberculosis in cattle, waxes resist destruction by digestive enzymes

Mycobacterium kansasii

acid-fast, causes pulmonary disease, waxes resist destruction by digestive enzymes

Mycobacterium leprae

acid-fast, causes leprosy

Mycobacterium lepromatosis

acid-fast, causes leprosy (Hansen’s disease), waxes resist destruction by digestive enzymes

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

acid-fast, causes tuberculosis, waxes resist destruction by digestive enzymes

Nocardia asteroids

acid-fast, causes pulmonary disease

Nocardia brasiliensis

acid-fast, causes nocardiosis