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Lecture 6- What makes a pathogen (Bacteriology)

Veterinary Microbiology (Murdoch University)

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Bacteriology - Lecture 6: What makes a pathogen

o. Define koch’s Postulates.

 Pathogenic microorganism must be present in

every case of the disease but absent from
healthy animals.
 The suspected microorganism must be isolated
and grown in pure culture.
 The same disease must occur when the isolated
microorganism is injected into healthy
susceptible animals.
 The same microorganisms must be isolated
again from the injected animals which developed
disease.

2. List the major types of infections.

Granulomatous;
Slowly developing granulomas form, associated
with slow growing intracellular organisms.
Eg. Myobacterium tuberculosis,
Nocardia spp., Actinomyces spp., Dermatophilus spp.

Local;
Localised infection
Eg. Respiratory – Pasteurella spp.,
Haemophilus spp., enteritis – E. coli, V. cholerae

Toxaemia;
Spread of bacteria toxins in blood
Eg. Clostridium spp.

Septicaemia (blood poisoning);

Presence of bacteria and toxins in blood. Invasion
of the bloodstream by virulent bacteria.

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Eg. Staphyloccus spp & Bacillus

anthracis

Bacteraemia;
Temporary presence of bacteria in blood.

Purulent;
Pus-producing (suppurative), due to the effect of
bacterial leucotoxins.
Eg. Streptococcus spp.,
Corynebacterium spp.

3. Define, using examples, Pathogenicity & bacterial

virulence.

Pathogenicity;
The ability of a species of microorganisms to cause
disease.

Commensal;
No disease and part of normal flora. Eg.
Lactobacillus spp., Commensal E. coli.

Opportunistic Pathogen; (most pathogens)

Occasionally cause disease; Host
immunity & other factors. Eg. Pathogenic E. coli,
Staphylococcus aureus

Primary Pathogens; (loose classification)

Highly virulent. Eg. Mycobacterium
tuberculosis

Virulence;
Ability of a particular strain to cause disease. Due
to certain properties or abilities possessed by that
strain, which can be gained or lost.
 Varies with strains

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 Can be lost/altered
 Depends on the attributes of the bacteria
 Colonisation/invasion/evasion/tissue
damage
 Virulence factors

4. Define the following terms:

I. Contagious disease;
Spreads directly from one individual
to another.

II. Nosocomial infection;

Acquired in a hospital setting.

III. Communicable disease;

Spread directly or indirectly, via air,
water, etc.

IV. Pathogenicity;
The ability of a species of
microorganisms to cause disease.

V. Bacterial virulence;
Ability of a particular strain to cause
disease. Due to certain properties or
abilities possessed by that strain,
which can be gained or lost.

5. List systems and attributes required by bacterial

pathogens to cause disease in a host.

Attributes of bacteria that contribute to

disease;
 Must be able to colonise the surface
of the host (skin, mucous
membranes) often in competition
with other microbes.

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 Be invasive
 Be able to survive or evade the host
defence mechanisms
 Be able to produce harm to host
tissues
Toxin production
Immune mediated damage

Pathogens need Systems for;

 Attachment to a host
 Intoxication of host cells
 Subverting host defences
 Synchronizing regulation of virulence-
associated gene expression
 Control the preferential secretion of
virulence-associated products
 Persistence and transmission to other
susceptible hosts

6. Describe the role of transmission, colonization,

invasion, immune evasion and toxins in bacterial
pathogenesis.

Colonisation;
Bacteria require features to colonise targe
tissue, organs or systems.

Invasion;
 Active phagocytosis by epithelial cells
rather than invasion eg. Salmonella
 Mechanisms for survival,
multiplication and spread within and
between cells
 Iron scavenging eg. Siderophores

Immune evasion;

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 Interfering with phagocytosis

Slime layer or capsule
Most capsules are antigenic
(antibody mediated
ohagocytosis)
Some are not antigenic (eg.
Bacillus anthracis)
 Interfere with phagocytic killing
Prevention of fusion of lysosome and
phagosome
Survive the lethal effects of the
phagolysosome
Intracellular pathogens (listeria
monocytogenes, salmonella,
mycobacteria)
 Avoiding antibody or complement
Long O-antigen side chains and/or
intracellular location
Salmonella (both criteria),
Mycobacteria (intracellular only)

Transmission;
Excretion in large numbers: eg:
Respiratory or gastro-intestinal
Carrier animals: appear healthy
themselves but excrete organisms that
infect other animals. Needs to be able to
identify and remove carriers from the
population to eliminate infection.
Resistance to environmental stress:
eg: spores
Multiple hosts, reservoir sectors: eg:
insect bites
Vertical transmission from mother to
offspring’s: eg: Salmonella spp

Toxins;

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Toxin production:
 Exotoxins and endotoxins
 Exotoxins (gram neg & positive
bacteria)
Clostridial toxins
- Tetanus (Clostridium tetani)
- Botulism (Clostridium
botulinum)
- Enterotoxaemia (Clostridium
perfringens)
- Histotoxins Clostridial species
(inhabit soils and the intestinal
tract of animals, including
humans…. Gram- positive
bacteria)

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