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12 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What makes the mycoplasma unique among bacteria?
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They are tiny (smaller even than some of the larger viruses), and they lack a cell wall.
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Three main types of pathogenic mycoplasmas.
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1. M. pneumoniae
2. M. hominis 3. M. genitalium plus subspecies: ureaplasma urealyticum |
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The genome of the mycoplasmas is _____, encoding for about ___ proteins.
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very small
700 |
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How can we distinguish between the different strains of mycoplasma in the lab?
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Different carbon sources used for growth.
M. pneumoniae: glucose M. hominis: arginine M. genitalium: unsure U. Urealyticum: urea |
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If we want to grow mycoplasmas, we need a medium that is very rich in __(a)__. These are called __(b)__. They need about __(c)__ to grow
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a. cholesterol
b. brain hearth infusion c. two weeks |
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Immunopathogenesis of M. pneumoniae
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First, it binds to the epithelial layers in the lungs. Once it has penetrated, it can activate macrophages, stimulate cytokine production, and activate lymphocytes. It is a superantigen.
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Is one infection enough to see symptoms from M. pneumoniae?
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No. repeated infections are needed to observe the clinical disease.
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M. pneumoniae
-seasonal factors? -method of tranmission? |
no seasonal factors
method of transmission = aerosol |
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How to diagnose m. pneumoniae infection.
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Sputum, throat washings - send to lab.
Doesn't stain gram neg or pos. This narrows it down to being either virus or mycoplasma. Then can ask for specific culture, which will take about two weeks. Serological tests can also be run. |
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Cold agglutinin test.
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A cold agglutinins blood test is done to check for conditions that cause the body to make certain types of antibodies called cold agglutinins. Cold agglutinins are normally made by the immune system in response to infection. They cause rbcs to agglutinate at low temps. Healthy people generally have low levels of cold agglutinins in their blood. But lymphoma or some infections, such as mycoplasma pneumonia, can cause the level of cold agglutinins to rise. Cannot use only this test as a diagnosis for mycoplasma infection.
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M. pneumoniae treatment
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Bacteriostatic.
Tetracycline and erythromycin. Target of a these antibiotics is protein synthesis. It works on bacterial ribosomes. Penicillin won't work because there is no cell wall. No vaccine. Will usually take care of itself. |
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M. hominis, genitalium, and U. urealyticum.
-transmission -treatment -prevention |
Sexually transmitted.
Treated with tetracycline. Prevented with abstinence or condoms. |
