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MC 3 MICROBIOLOGY & PARASITOLOGY
MODULE 5
GRAM POSITIVE RODS
There are four medically important genera of Gram-positive rods: Bacillus,
Clostridium, Corynebacterium, and Listeria. Bacillus and Clostridium form spores,
whereas Corynebacterium and Listeria do not. Members of the genus Bacillus are
aerobic, whereas those of the genus Clostridium are anaerobic. This module will
discuss the properties as well as the infections caused by the Gram-positive rods in
the lecture.
The laboratory topic for this module will focus on the immunology of microbial
infections.
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES (ILO)
If you study this lesson carefully, you should be able to:
1. Classify medically important genera of Gram-positive rods based on spore
formation and oxygen requirement
2. Identify important properties, diseases, habitats, modes of transmission
and methods of control of Gram-positive rods.
MEDICALLY IMPORTANT GENERA
Non – spore forming
1. Mycobacterium 3. Listeria
2. Corynebacterium
Spore forming
1. Bacillus – aerobic 2. Clostridium – anaerobic
NON – SPORE FORMING GRAM POSITIVE ROD
MYCOBACTERIUM
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (Koch’s bacilli)
A. Important Properties:
1. aerobic, acid fast rods 3. grows very slowly
2. high lipid content of cell
wall
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B. Disease:
- Tuberculosis
C. Pathogenesis:
- Mycobacteria does not produce toxin but the bacterial cell is irritating and
toxic to any tissue.
Types of Tuberculosis
1. Primary infection
- occurs in the lungs
- primary lesions and the draining lymph nodes are called GHON
COMPLEX
2. Reactivation Tuberculosis
- occurs in the apices (Pulmonary TB)
- also occur in kidneys, brain, and bone
3. Milliary Tuberculosis
- organisms spread and reach the blood stream
o bacilli disseminate to all organs
D. Habitat and Transmission:
- Habitat in the human lungs
- Transmission is via droplets produced by coughing
Mycobacterium Leprae (Hansen’s bacilli)
A. Important Properties:
1. mycobacterium leprae cannot be cultured in vitro
2. Acid fast rods, aerobic
B. Disease:
- leprosy
C. Pathogenesis:
- organism replicates intracellularly
Types of leprosy
1. Acute Nodular leprosy
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- development of masses of granulation tissue called leproma appears
superficially in any part of the body
2. Anesthetic or nerve leprosy
- slower in development
- produces atrophy of muscles, loss of sensation of affected parts
D. Habitat and Transmission:
- Habitat is the human skin and nerves
- Transmission is prolonged contact
CORYNEBACTERIUM: Corynebacterium Diphtheriae
A. Important properties:
1. Club – shaped gram-positive rods
2. Aerobic, non-spore forming
3. Babes Ernst granules which stain metachromatically
4. V or L – shape arrangement
B. Disease:
- Diphtheria
B. Pathogenesis:
- Organism secretes toxin which bind to call surface receptors
Prominent Sign:
- thick, gray adherent membrane over the tonsils and throat.
C. Habitat and Transmission:
- Habitat is the human throat
- Transmission is via respiratory droplets
LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES
A. Important Properties:
1. Small gram-positive rods
2. Aerobic, non – spore forming organism
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B. Diseases:
1. Meningitis
2. Sepsis in new born
C. Pathogenesis:
No toxins identified
D. Habitat and Transmission:
- Organism colonizes the gastrointestinal and female genital tracts; in
nature it is widespread in animals, plants, and soil.
- Transmission is across the placenta or by contact during delivery
- Outbreaks of disease are related to unpasteurized milk products, e.g.,
cheese
SPORE FORMING GRAM POSITIVE RODS
Bacillus:
Bacillus Anthracis Bacillus Cereus
Bacillus Anthracis
A. Important Properties:
1. It is one of the largest pathogenic bacilli
2. Their ends are concave or square
3. It forms a long chain appearing like a “jointed bamboo.”
4. The spores are centrally located.
5. The colonies are irregular and show a “Medusa Head” type
appearance due to the interwoven chain of bacilli.
6. In gelatin stab, it produces an “inverted fir tree” growth.
D. Disease:
Anthrax
B. Pathogenesis:
- It causes anthrax which produces lesion and looks like a
carbuncle,
large, black, and necrotic
- Death is due to mechanical effect in clogging important capillaries
- There is no exotoxin produced.
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Types of Anthrax
1. Bacteremia – organism is in the blood and it is fatal.
2. Cutaneous anthrax – malignant pustule like boil but with dirty
edges (papule – vesicle – pustule – necrotic ulcer – septicemia)
3. Pulmonary anthrax – also known as “Wool sorter’s disease,” the
most dangerous type due to inhalation of the microorganism
(Sepsis – hemorrhagic pneumonia)
4. Intestinal anthrax – due to eating improperly cooked spore
infected foods, found among workers in the animal products. They
cause a violent intestinal irritation with blood in the stool.
C. Habitat and Transmission:
- Habitat is soil
- Transmission is by contact with infected animals of inhalation of spores
from animal hair and wool.
Bacillus Cereus
A. Disease:
Food Poisoning
B. Pathogenesis:
B cereus produces 2 enterotoxins
- Their mode of action is unclear
C. Transmission
- Spores on grains such as rice survive steaming and rapid frying
CLOSTRIDIUM:
Clos. Tetani Clos. Perfringens
Clos. Botulinum
CLOSTRIDIUM TETANI
A. Important Properties:
1. anaerobic, gram positive rods
2. terminally located spore
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B. Disease:
Tetanus
C. Pathogenesis:
It causes tetanus, and the incubation period is 2 to 5 days.
The symptoms are as follows:
- High fever - Sardonic smile
- Pain is ascending - Tetanic spasm of muscles
- Lock jaw - Opistho-tonous
D. Habitat and Transmission:
- Habitat is the soil - Organism enters through traumatic
breaks in the skin
.
CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM
A. Important properties:
1. anaerobic, spore forming 2. sub terminal spores
B. Disease:
Botulism
C. Pathogenesis:
- It causes food intoxication, when food containing produced toxin is
eaten, especially smoked vacuum packed or canned alkaline food
eaten without cooking.
- The activity of the toxin is on the nerve producing neuromuscular
paralysis.
- The symptoms develop soon after eating the food because the toxin
is already formed and begins to have effect after it is absorbed.
- It affects the nervous system and not the GI tract.
Types of Food Poisoning
Food infection – caused by the bacterial cells. The symptoms are the
following:
- Diarrhea - Intestinal cramps
- Fever - FP (8 – 24 hours)
- Vomiting
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Food Intoxication – prepared toxin eaten together with food, it
produces symptoms immediately and affects the optic nerve. The
symptoms are the following:
- Double vision
- Dizziness
- Drooping eyelids
- Drying of throat and mouth
- Patient is red or blushed
- No GIT symptoms
- Hemoconcentration
- Involvement of the heart
D. Habitat and Transmission:
- Habitat is the soil.
- Organism and toxin transmitted in improperly preserved food
CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGES
A. Important Properties:
1. anaerobic rods
2. centrally located spores
B. Diseases:
Gas gangrene
Food poisoning
C. Pathogenesis:
- It causes gas gangrene and food infection.
- In gas gangrene, the infection spreads and produces crepitation of
subcutaneous tissue and muscle.
- There is a foul smelling of discharge.
- For food infection, the symptoms are immediate.
- There is the presence of diarrhea without vomiting and absence of
fever.
D. Habitat and Transmission:
- Habitat is the Human colon and soil.
- Food poisoning is transmitted by ingestion of contaminated food.
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