Some Interesting Bacteria and Facts About Them
This first group of bacteria that you see are a group of anthrax bacilli in a sputum sample.
Bacillus
anthracis pneumonia can be 100% fatal in a period of time which is may
be measurable in hours due to massive cardiopulmonary shock and cardiovascular
collapse. This type of bacteria has been a favorite of apocalyptic writers for
years. It wasn’t as much of a favorite with Health Authorities in Florida
or Washington DC after some Right Wing Zealots did some sending of spores
through the mail in the months following the 9/11/01 attacks on the World Trade
Center Towers.
The next bacteria type is
Corynebacterium
diphtheriae which is seen here in some of its typical palisades arrangement in a pharyngeal smear. At one time Diphtheria, was considered to be one of the most dreaded diseases world wide, but excellent vaccines have caused it to be presently somewhat limited in its areas of endemicity
Diphtheria is still a problem in some of the countries of the former
This organism is probably known to all of you who have ever seen a tabloid headline while
standing in a supermarket checkout line
This
is Streptococcus pyogenes
which is the organism responsible for Strep Throat and Rheumatic Fever and Impetigo and The !FLESH EATING BACTERIA! I’m sure most of you weren’t taken in by all of the hype and you know that this organism is nothing new and that the Flesh -Eating phenomenon is a slightly more virulent disorder due to the presence of the same sorts of toxins responsible for Impetigo. It has been with us for centuries and looks like it will continue to be, but it is not a major concern for the entire human race as some of the tabloids might have you believe.
Have you ever had pneumonia? It’s an unpleasant experience and here is the culprit
Do
you see the pairs of circular bacteria in this sputum sample? Do you notice
that each is surrounded by a clear zone? That zone is a capsule and it’s
this which makes Streptococcus pneumoniae such a
successful pathogen. This capsule resists phagocytosis and intracellular
destruction by the monocytes in this sample.
If you would like to understand more about Monocytes you should consider
taking
Here at DMACC your education is our business and your satisfaction is our goal.
Here
is another Streptococcus in a Blood smear. It is possible that this one
may be responsible for Rheumatic Fever, Glomerulonephritis or Rheumatoid
Arthritis. Sometimes organisms like this in the blood are only temporary after
brushing your teeth. Do you have any idea why? If you had taken Bio 132, you
would know the answer to this and many other interesting questions.
You
may find this one appetizing!. A gram of the toxin from this organism is a
lethal dose for 200,000 mice. A cup of this toxin in pure form would be capable
of depopulating the entire Earth. This organism is Clostridium botulinum the
organism responsible for Botulism. The toxin, called botulin
works like nerve gas causing respiratory failure, paralysis and death in as
little as 4 hours. Clostridium tetanai, the agent responsible for
Tetanus has a similar appearance in culture. Its toxin called Tetanospasmin
is also a nerve toxin though it acts through a different mechanism.
Together, the two Clostridia possess the most potent neurotoxic substances
produced in the natural world
Botulism has been associated with improperly canned foods, especially green beans and others with low natural acidity. Think about this the next time you’re about to chow down on a three bean salad!
Here
are some gram positive Enterococci from a urine sample. The reason why these
are of interest, is because the genus Enterococcus has been shown to
have some members which are Vancomycin resistant and Vancomycin is considered
to be the ULTIMATE ANTIBIOTIC, at least at present. Therefore, anything which
shows resistance to Vancomycin, may potentially be resistant to all common
antibiotics. If you had taken Health Science Microbiology at DMACC, you’d
already know that!. Better check us out!
Also, I have a page with some interesting information about pathogenic fungi. Click HERE for that link
This has been a tour of the microbial world and presented you with only the briefest of glimpses of a fascinating field which encompasses almost every aspect of modern life. I would recommend you take this search farther, if you have the time, so that you can see how Microbiology affects you Once you check out some of these other cool web sites, you’ll know that The DMACC Urban Campus Biology Department has the information that you’re looking for See you in cyberspace