NEW VOCABULARY, MORE INSIGHT

SPIROCHETES: It means coiled hairs in Greek. They are thin tightly coiled helically shaped , Gram-negative bacteria that share certain unique features- most notable axial filaments. As the axial filaments rotate, a spirochete corkscrews through its environment.

Figure 1, spirochete

ORNITHOSIS: It is a disease caused by Chlamydophilia psittaci. This is a disease of birds that can be transmitted to humans, in whom it causes flulike symptoms. In some cases it can result in pneumonia, endocarditis, hepatitis, arthritis, conjunctivitis, and encephalitis.

 

Figure 2, bird with ornithosis

YAWS: It is a type of nonveneral Treponemal disease caused by T. pallidum endemicum. It is a disease predominant in tropical South America, central Africa, South East Asia characterized initially by granular skin lesions that are painless. The disease is spread through contact with spirochetes in fluid draining from the lesions.

Figure 3, Yaws disease lesion

PINTA: This is a disease caused by T. carateum and it is a skin disease seen in children in central and South America. The spirochetes are spread among children by skin-to-skin contact. After three weeks, papules form at the site of infection which might result in scarring and disfigurement.

Figure 4, pita disease in children and adults

REFERENCES:

Bauman RW. Microbiology with disease by Taxonomy. 3rd ed. San Francisco (CA): Pearson; 2011.

Figure 1: http://www.google.com/imgres?sa=X&hl=en&biw=1600&bih=759&tbm=isch&tbnid=82ek4EpHvKCgYM:&imgrefurl=http://spirochetesunwound.blogspot.com/2012/05/do-nonspiral-spirochetes-help-clean-our.html&docid=eKiG-u1X1mHEZM&imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdTg_X1qc2MxHPnrDx4kuQHkfGOvqcrSeflQld2ozjSzx0XOEAvra1MLTy-ZTOWBiTB3ad20kLAX4brn-pjR_8PVx4EBrANyeMEedvz7vPbexkNTrl6s8ixxT1oG5ONFAjWJYq9rb-SVo/s1600/Alban00-f1.jpg&w=674&h=339&ei=YMJ6UdytOq7k4AP4ooDACw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=185&vpy=22&dur=140&hovh=159&hovw=317&tx=211&ty=88&page=1&tbnh=133&tbnw=265&start=0&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:17,s:0,i:177

Figure 2: http://www.tubiszoli.eoldal.hu/fenykepek/galambok/betegsegekkepekben/ornithosis.html

Figure 3: http://see.visualdx.com/diagnosis/yaws

Figure 4: http://brianaltonenmph.com/gis/population-health-surveillance/production-examples/pinta-yaws-and-bejel-icds-103-102-and-104/

MORE VOCABULARY

Hypersensitivity:

 This can be defined as any immune response against a foreign antigen that is exaggerated beyond the norm. There are four main types of hypersensitivity response. Some people experience hypersensitivity to certain perfumes, wearing wool, or dusting furniture through sneezing, runny nose, or wheezing.

Figure 1 hypersensitivity

Mast cells:

Mast cells are specialized relatives of white blood cells, deriving from other stem cells in the bone marrow. They are distributed all throughout the body in connective tissues other than blood and mostly close to body surfaces including the skin and walls of the intestines and airways. They have a cytoplasm containing large granules loaded with a mixture  of potent inflammatory chemicals such as histamine.

Figure 2 mast cell

Herd immunity:

Herd immunity is the protection provided by all individuals in a population due to the inability of a pathogen to effectively spread when a large proportion of individuals (more than 75%) are resistant. The society can be provided with herd immunity when patients follow recommended immunization  schedule.

Figure 3 herd immunity

Pseudomembranous colitis:

It is an infection caused by Clostridium difficile. In Pseudomembranoous colitis, large sections of the colon wall slough off, potentially perforating the colon, and leading to massive internal infection by fecal bacteria and eventually death.

Figure 4

REFERENCES:

Bauman RW. Microbiology with disease by Taxonomy. 3rd ed. San Francisco (CA): Pearson; 2011. 730p.

PICTURES:

Figure 1 http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4085/5092780349_17f90cb6ba.jpg?w=560

Figure 2 http://www.abcam.com/ps/CMS/Images/Mast%20Cell_589v398.jpg
Figure 3 http://theprimalparent.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/herd-immunity-slide-17.png
Figure 4 http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm1004244

NEW MICROBIOLOGY DEFINITIONS

CLONAL DELETION:
This is the process by which the body eliminates self-reactive lymphocytes by deleting their offspring. In humans, clonal deletion occurs in the thymus for T lymphocytes and in the bone marrow for B lymphocytes. The process however occurs differently in both type of cells.

Figure 1, Clonal deletion process

CLASS SWITCHING:
It is a process by which a plasma cell combines its variable region gene for a different Fc region and begins secreting a new class of antibodies. The most common switch is plasma cell switching to synthesize immunoglobulin G. This type of switch is a switch to the gene for heavy gamma chain.

Figure 2, class switching

APOPTOSIS:
The simplest definition of apoptosis is programmed cell suicide. This process is usually triggered when perforin (target cell with protein) molecules form into a tubular structure in the target cell's membrane, forming a channel through which granzyme enters the cells, thus triggering apoptosis.

Figure 3, the process of Apoptosis

CHEMOTAXIS:
It is the movement of a cell either towards a chemical stimulus (positive chemotaxis) or away from a chemical stimulus (negative chemotaxis). Positive chemotaxis in phagocytes involves the use of pseudopodia to move towards microorganisms where there is infection.


Figure 4, Chemotaxis

REFERENCES
Bauman RW. Microbiology with disease by Taxonomy. 3rd ed. San Francisco (CA): Pearson; 2011.

PICTURES
Figure 1: http://www.google.com/imgres?sa=X&biw=1600&bih=759&tbm=isch&tbnid=wph2RrvlKb0nhM:&imgrefurl=http://www.nature.com/nri/journal/v4/n10/box/nri1456_BX3.html&docid=GPd41NMEQEbyYM&imgurl=http://www.nature.com/nri/journal/v4/n10/images/nri1456-i3.jpg&w=600&h=372&ei=hDBoUce3IvXG4APOuIHYBQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=187&page=1&tbnh=150&tbnw=242&start=0&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0,i:94&tx=58&ty=59

Figure 2: http://www.google.com/imgres?biw=1600&bih=759&tbm=isch&tbnid=wZmThaAac8CAxM:&imgrefurl=http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/im1-07-08-t-cells/deck/1073514&docid=F3ATTfTAodZQKM&imgurl=http://classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/33/flashcards/602033/jpg/important_th2_cytokines1315462704587.jpg&w=1110&h=905&ei=gjNoUbbtDdfJ4AP3h4CgBw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=266&page=1&tbnh=153&tbnw=188&start=0&ndsp=36&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0,i:109&tx=91&ty=103

Figure 3: http://www.google.com/imgres?biw=1600&bih=759&tbm=isch&tbnid=RpLwOJmpk9y93M:&imgrefurl=http://www.copewithcytokines.de/cope.cgi%3Fkey%3DApoptosis&docid=q_lIeTIc7SE9vM&imgurl=http://www.copewithcytokines.de/apoptosis.gif&w=405&h=237&ei=TThoUaeyNs_I4AP22YH4Aw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=365&vpy=135&dur=1014&hovh=172&hovw=294&tx=126&ty=141&page=1&tbnh=121&tbnw=201&start=0&ndsp=37&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0,i:88

Figure 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chtxphenomen1.png

REFLECTING FURTHER

Microbiology though seemingly complex at the beginning of the semester have actually become the most fascinating and insightful subject. I learn a lot of new things in Microbiology in class, from my classmates, and through the world around me. One of the most interesting topics I have learnt thus far is on controlling microbial growth in the environment and through antimicrobial drugs. Microorganisms respond to different groups of medication and if treatments are not followed appropriately, pathogens can develop resistance to certain antimicrobials.  This is important to my nursing career as I understand the implication of giving right doses of antimicrobials, their desired effects, side effects, and necessary patient education in order to avoid resistance. The topic on infectious diseases, their transmission, and their epidemiology have been particularly critical as an aspiring nurse especially in the light of nosocomial and iatrogenic infections in the healthcare setting. The information learnt in class reinforces my understanding of Anatomy and physiology especially in topics like genetics and the different types of immunity, all of which have been revisited in both classes. Through microbiology I have discovered different important learning styles like using animations, practice quizzes and concept maps, all of which are still helping me in my educational journey. The most confusing topics this far are microbial genetics and the mechanism of action for specific antimicrobials. My understanding of these topics can be improved by revisiting them in class with the professor and my classmates. As mentioned in my other blog entries, almost everything learnt in microbiology has changed the way I listen to health related information as I always try to make connections with my class knowledge. The subject of disease transmission has impacted my life as I have learned of different vehicles of disease transmission and that any inanimate object can be a potential vehicle of transmission.  

REFERENCE:

Bauman RW. Microbiology with disease by Taxonomy. 3rd ed. San Francisco (CA): Pearson; 2011.