Chlamydia & Mycoplasma

RICKETTSIA (This is just a short intro! Dr. Imad taught us Rickettsia!)

 Gram negative [Cell wall (+))

 Pleomorphic
 Obligate intracellular parasite
 Reside in cytosol of host cell
 Associated with an arthropod vector
 E.g:
- R. prowazeki = epidemic typhus
- R. typhi – murine typhus
- O. tsutsugamushi – scrub typhus, etc.

CHLAMYDIA

 Gram negative
 Pleomorphic
 Non-motile
 Obligate intracellular parasit
 E.g
- C. trachomatis – conjunctivitis, lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV)
- C. psittaci – pisttacosis
- C. pneumoniae – pneumonia, etc.

MYCOPLASMA

 Gram ?
 Exceedingly pleomorhpic [cocci, club, helix, doughnut]
 Naturally lacks a cell wall
 E.g
- M.pneumoniae = atypical pneumonia (Eaton agent)
- U. urealyticum = non-gonococcal urethritis, etc

CHLAMYDIA
Order: Chlamydiales

Family: Chlamydiaceae

Genus: Chlamydia & Chlamydophila (new!)

Species: C. trachomatis, psittaci, pneumonia, oecorum

C. TRACHOMATIS – 3 Biovariations

1. Those causeing trachoma & inclusion conjunctivitis (TRIC) : 14 serovars (A-K)

2. Those causing lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) : 3 serovars (L 1, L2, L3)

3. Those causing mouse pneumonitis (MoPn)

CHLAMYDIA

Exist in 2 forms:

1. Elementary body (EB)

2. Reticulate body (RB)

EB

 Extraceullular
 Metabolically inert
 Infectious partical
 Small (300-350 nm)
 G (-) bacteria

RB

 Infection of host by EB -> in cell

  800-1000nm
 Non-infectious
 Metabolically active
 Binary fission

The 4 spp can be differentiated on the basis of:-

1. Growth
2. Nucleic acid profile
3. Presence of plasmids
4. Antigenicity
5. Inclusion bodies (morpholigcally different)

E.g = C.trachomatis produces a glycogen matrix in its inclusion bodies, which stain brown with iodine

HUMAN CHLAMYDIAL INFECTIONS

Trachoma C. trachomatis serovar A, B, Ba, C

Inclusion conjunctivitis C. trachomatis D->K
Opthalmia neonatorum C. trachomatis D->K
Urethritis, epididymitis, proctatis (in male) C. trachomatis D->K
Urethritis, cervicitis, proctitis, saphingitis, C. trachomatis D->K
perihepatitis, peri-appendicitis, infertility (in
females)
Abortion, stillbirth C. Psittaci
Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) C. trachomatis L1->L3
Pneumonitis (infants) C. trachomatis D-> K
Pharyngitis, pneumonia C. Pneumoniae
 Psittacosis (ornithosis) C. Psittaci (avian strains)
Pneumonia C. Psittaci (ovine strains)

DIAGNOSIS

 Culture
- Embryonated eggs
- Tssue culture
McCoy cells treated with cycloheximide -> stain for inclusion bodies or EB
 Antigen detection
- Immunofluorescence
- ELISA (for antigen)
 Nucleic acid: PCR
 Serology:  IgM or IgG (very high titre)

TREATMENT

Doc: Tetracycline (adults), Erythromycin (babies)

Others: Chloramphenicols, Quinolones

PREVENTION

Vaccine: Still (-)

MYCOPLASMA
[Greek; Mykes = fungus, Plasma = ‘moulded’]

Class: Mollicutes (‘soft skins’)

(4 orders, 5 families)

Families:

Mycoplasmataceae

Entomoplasmataceae

Spiroplasmataceae

Acholeplasmataceae

Anaeroplasmataceae

Family: Mycoplasmataceae

Genus:

Mycoplasma (>100 spp)

Ureaplasma (6 spp)

MYCOPLASMA

 Smallest self-replicating microorganism

 Prokaryote
 Can grow in cell-free culture media
 Found in
- Humans
- Animals (cattle, goat, sheep, swine, birds, etc)
- Plants
- Insects
- Soil
- Sewage
 M.mycoides ssp. Mycoides isolated 100 years ago from cattle with pleuropneumonia
 Reproduction = binary fission
 Shape: pleomorphic (extreme!)
- Coccoid
- Coccbacillary
- Ring
- Dumb-bell
- Helix
- Branching
 Limited biosynthetic abilities
 Need rich growth medium
- Animal serum
- Sterol (compomnent of cell membrane)
 E.g bovine heart infusion broth
+ fresh yeast extract
+ horse serum
 Can grow in liquid or solid media
 Most facultatively anaerobic
 Condition for growth 95% N + 5% CO2
 Colony :
- Fried egg appearance (bullseye)
- Mycoplasma 1-2 micrometer
- Ureaplasma 15-60 micrometer (T.plasma tiny)

DISEASES

 Respiratory infections
- Primary atypical pneumonia (Eaton agent)
 Extrapulmonary manifestations
- Stevens-Johnson syndrome
- Meningitis, encephalitis
- Hemolytic anaemia
 - Myocarditis & pericarditis, etc
 Aetiology: Mycoplasma pneumonia & others

Urogenital infections:

Causes:

- M. fermentans
- M. Genitalium
- M. Hominis *(important)
- M. Penetrans
- M. Pneumonia
- M. Primatum
- M. Salivarium
- M. Spermatophilum
- M. Ureaplasma urealyticum *

[*most frequently]

Man: NGU (non-gonococcal urethritis)

Woman: Vaginosis, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), salphingitis, infertility

Newborn: Stillbirth, aborted fetuses, preterm labour

URTI

Joint infections – arthritis

In immunocompromised

DIAGNOSIS

 Complement fixation test 4 x  max 3/52

 Cold agglutinin test
 Western blot
 Culture & isolation
 PCR (Polymerase chain reaction)

TREATMENT

DOC:

 Tetracyclins (adults)
 Erythromycins (babies)

Others:

 Chloramphenicol
 Chlarithromycin
 Azithromycin
  Quinolones

JUST FOR FUN

Giant bacteria

1993: from content of a sturgeonfish

Epulopiscium fishelsoni

Length: 600 micrometer,

Thickness: 80 micrometer

[Visible to the naked eye]

Compare with E.coli : 5 micrometer x 3 micrometer

(1 million can be accommodated in an Ep. Fishelsoni)

1996: Bigger – Baggjaton spp. (Gulf of Mexico)

1999: Biggest so far – from ocean floor off Namibia:

Thiomargarita namibiensis [Length: 750 mirometer]

Packed with sulphur granules and forms chains – like strings of pearls on the ocean floor!]

Smallest bacteria so far:

Thermodiscuss spp. : 0.2 x 0.1 micrometer

Among smallest:

Rickettsia

Chlamydia

Mycoplasma