Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Plague and Non-enteric Pathogens
- Yersinia pestis
- Cause of the plague
- Transmitted via animals
- Sylvatic plague - from wild animals
- Urban plague - from domestic/semi-domestic animals or humans
- Found in 200 species of animals (rodents) without causing disease
- Fleas are vector
- Bacteria replicates in gut
- Coagulase causes blood clotting which blocks the oesophagus
- Flea becomes ravenous
- 3-50 bacilli
- Bubonic
- Bacilli multiplies in flea bite
- Bacteria enters lymphatic system
- Causes swelling and necrosis in groin/axilla (a bubo)
- Septicemic
- Progression to massive bacterial growth
- Virulence factors cause intravascular coagulation,
subcutaneous haemorrhage and purpura
- Black plague
- Pneumonic
- Infection localized to lungs
- Highly contagious
- Fatal without treatment
- Diagnosis depends on patient history, symptoms and lab findings from bubo aspirate
- Treated with streptomycin, tetracycline or chloramphenicol
- Prevention of spread by quarantine and control of rodent population
- Killed/attenuated vaccine available
- Non-enteric Pathogens
- Pasterurella multocida
- Normal flora in animals
- Opportunistic pathogen
- Animal bites cause local abcesses that spread to bones, joints and lymph nodes
- Immunocompromised are at risk of septicaemia and complications
- Treated with penicillin and tetracycline
- Haemophilus
- Tiny, Gram -ve pleomorphic rods
- Fastidious - sensitive to drying, temperature extremes and disinfectants
- Grows on chocolate agar - require hemin, NAD or NADP
- Some species are normal flora of upper respiratory tract/vagina
- Other species are involved in conjunctivitis (H. aegyptius),
childhood meningitis and chancroid (H. ducreyi)
- H. influenzae - acute bacterial meningitis, epiglottitis,
otitis media, sinusitis, pneumonia, bronchitis
- Hib vaccine
- H. parainfluenzae and H. aphrophilus - normal oral and
nasopharangeal flora but can cause infective endocarditis