systemic spirochetes

Question 1

characteristics of spirochetes

Answer 1

spiral shaped

corkscrew motility

DONT gram stain

grow slow or not at all

Question 2

three genuses that are pathogenic spirochetes

Answer 2

treponema - all identical, with same serological response, and susceptible to penicillin

borrelia - zoonotic

leptospira - zoonotic

Question 3

are treponema susceptible to penicillins?

Answer 3

yes

Question 4

T pallidum - can it grow in culture?

Answer 4

No

Question 5

vector/transmission of lyme disease

Answer 5

Tick borne —-Northeast and Midwest = Ixodes scapularis (also called Ixodes dammini) or B. burgdorferi —nymph stage transmits infection (May through July). —White-footed mice and white-tailed deer are important for the life cycle of these ticks

Question 6

local spread of lyme disease (primary lesion) is

Answer 6

erythema migrans

Question 7

pathogenesis of lyme disease

Answer 7

•Early infection: stage 1 (localized infection; days to weeks) - characterized by erythema migrans at site of tick bite

stage 2 (disseminated infection; weeks to months) - characterized by secondary annular skin lesions and systemic symptoms such as severe malaise and fatigue. Bell’s palsy

—carditis, meningitis, arthritis

•Late infection: stage 3 (persistent infection; months to years) - characterized by arthritis, meningoencephalitis, neuropathies

Question 8

bells palsy

Answer 8

loss of muscle tone on one or both sides of the face

–occurs with lyme disease

Question 9

oral antibiotic for lyme disease?

Answer 9

doxycycline

(a tetracycline - used for lyme and anthrax)

Question 10

STARI

Answer 10

Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI)

similar to the rash of Lyme disease, associated with the bite of the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum. This Lyme disease-like rash has been named Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI).

Question 11

relapsing fever

Answer 11

caused by borrelia species

vector = louse (human reservoir) or tick (animal host)

characterized by recurrent episodes of fever separated by asymptomatic intervals

Question 12

borrelia recurrentis

Answer 12

louse borne relapsing fever

transmitted by lice; no animal reservoir

occurs in epidemics

Question 13

borrelia hermsii

Answer 13

tick borne relapsing fever

YES animal reservoirs; occurs in endemic (not epidemic) forms

Question 14

what form of relapsing fever more often shoes jaundice and CNS involvement….

Answer 14

louse borne

Question 15

leptospirosis

Answer 15

caused by spirochete leptospira

an acute febrile illness with conjunctival suffusion (reddened conjunctiva due to blood flow) and renal failure (Weils disease) and/or meningitis

Question 16

what are soldiers at risk of during water/stream field exercises

Answer 16

leptospirosis

Question 17

cant grow _____ in vitro

Answer 17

T pallidum

Question 18

lyme disease in summary

Answer 18

Borrelia burgdorferi, deer ticks, erythema migrans, 3-stage disease

STARI: similar primary illness to Lyme but not caused by B. burgdorferi

Question 19

2 causes of relapsing fever in summary

Answer 19

Borrelia recurrentis: epidemic relapsing fever-lice

Borrelia hermsii: endemic relapsing fever-ticks

Question 20

leptospirosis transmission

Answer 20

exposure to infected animal urine in H20; veterinarians/ adventurers

Question 21

what causes syphilis?

Answer 21

t pallidum

(spirochete)