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Gram Positive 1
Duke PA micro
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Streptococci | diverse group of gram positive cocci |
| How are streptococci arranged? | pairs or chains |
| What are the oxygen requirements for streptococci? | facultative anaerobes with complex nutritional requirements |
| What are the classifications of streptococci? | serology (Lancefield groups), hemolytic patterns, biochemical (species name), clinical presentation |
| Lancefield groups | refers to group-specific cell wall antigens (usually carbohydrates) |
| What is the current use of the Lancefield groups? | groups A, B, C, F and G |
| Hemolysis | bacterial growth on blood agar surface disrupts erythrocytes |
| classification of Streptococcus by hemolysis | A-hemolytic, B-hemolytic or non-hemolytic |
| A-hemolysis on blood agar | zone of hemolysis on blood agar appears green |
| B-hemolysis on blood agar | zone of hemolysis is clear |
| non-hemolytic example | Streptococcus pneumoniae |
| viridans streptococci | normal flora of human upper respiratory and GI tract, can cause |
| important viridans streptococci | |
| viridans streptococci normal flora - where? | human upper respiratory and GI tract |
| What age is strep most common? | 5-15 year olds |
| What are viridans streptcocci normal flora involved in? | |
| B-hemolytic streptococci - Group A | colonize upper respiratory tract of children, and, to a lesser extent, adults |
| B-hemolytic streptococci - Group B | normal flora of perineum in 1/3 of adults |
| Most of the B-hemolytic streptococci also carry what other designations? | Lancefield - Groups A, B, C and G |
| What needs to always be on the differential for neonates? | Group B strep |
| Who is at risk for B-hemolytic Group B strep? | pregnant women - transmitted strep to neonate could be very harmful |
| B-hemolytic streptococci - Group C | similar spectrum to Group A |
| B-hemolytic streptococci - Group G | infections of skin |
| What should always follow a rapid test, negative or positive? | culture |
| What type of strep do most labs check for? | B-hemolytic Group A strep |
| What could you miss with just a reguluar strep culture? | B-hemolytic Group B strep - similar to Group A |
| Group A Strep aka | S. pyogenes |
| What is Group A Streptococci often designated as? | GAS |
| What is the most common clinical picture of GAS? | exudative pharyngitis |
| What else can GAS cause? | various other clinical syndromes |
| Why do we treat streptococcal pharyngitis? | to prevent rheumatic fever |
| What are the virulence factors of GAS? | M-proteins, adhesins, capsule, exotoxins |
| M-proteins | surface cell wall proteins that facilitate spread through host tissue; strain specific |
| Adhesins | numerous; facilitate adherence to host cells |
| What are examples of adhesins? | lipotechoic acid, F-protein |
| Capsule | resists phagocytosis |
| What are the exotoxins in GAS? | streptolysins, streptokinase, pyrogenic exotoxins |
| What do streptolysis do? | lyse RBCs, WBCs & plts |
| What do streptokinases do? | lyse blood clots |
| What do pyrogenic exotoxins do? | facilitate release of cytokines |
| Exotoxins | species-specific proteins secreted (extracellularly) by bacteria |
| What are some of the most powerful human poisons? | exotoxins |
| Where are exotoxins secreted from? | both Gram + and Gram - bacteria |
| What are endotoxins associated with? | Gram - bacteria |
| What are some features of exotoxins? | virulence, antigenic, some are superantigens, unstable; heat labile |
| Do exotoxins have broad or narrow cell type specificity? | either |
| Group B streptococci aka | S. agalactiae |
| Group B strep normal flora | of perineum in 1/3 of population |
| Who are at increased risk of perinatel infections from Group B strep? | neonates |
| Does Group B strep cause GU infections? | infrequent |