YERSINIA SPP
‘The BLACK DEATH’
Yersinia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Bacteria
Phylum: Proteobacteria
Class: Gammaproteobacteria
Order: Enterobacteriales
Family: Enterobacteriaceae
Genus: Yersinia
Species
Y. aldovae
Y. aleksiciae
Y. bercovieri
Y. enterocolitica
Y. frederiksenii
Y. intermedia
Y. kristensenii
Y. mollaretii
Y. pestis
Y. pseudotuberculosis
Y. rohdei
Y. ruckeri
CHARACTERISTIC
BASICALLY:
• Gram-negative rod
shaped bacteria.
• Facultative anaerobes
• Most in rodents
Yersinia pestis
PLAGUE
Plague is caused by Yersinia pestis and
the disease is known in the middle ages
as the black death.
This is because it frequently leads to
gangrene and blackening of various
parts of the body.
Capillary fragility results in hemorrhages
in the skin which also result in black
patches.
CHARACTERISTIC
Gram negative
• Facultative anaerobe
• Infection takes 3 main forms:
-Bubonic plaque
-Septicaemia plaque
-Pneumonic plaque
• Rodent population as host
• Category A pathogenic
Yersinia pestis grow well on most standard laboratory media,
after 48 – 72 hours, grey white to slightly yellow opaque raised
irregular “fried eggs” morphology.
PATHOGENICITY
Transmitted by flea.
Express plasminogen activator.
Have anti phagocytic antigen produce at
body temperature.
F1(fraction 1)
V or Lcr V
Survive & multiply within monocytes.
Inject yolk protein that limit phagocytosis and
cell signaling pathway.
SYMPTOMS AND DISEASE
PROGRESSION
Gangrene
Bubonic plague
• Incubation period 2-6 days when the
bacteria is actively replicate.
• Universally a general lack of energy.
• Fever.
• Headache and chills.
• Swelling of lymph nodes.
Septicemic plague
– Hypotension.
– Hepatosplenomegaly.
– Seizures in children.
– Universally a general lack of energy.
– Fever.
– Symptoms of bubonic or pneumonic
plague are not always present.
• Note: Patient may die before any symptoms
appear.
Pneumonic plague (Spread
person to person)
–Fever.
–Coughing.
–Chest pain.
–Hypotension.
TREATMENT
• The traditional first line treatment
for Y. pestis:
–Streptomycin.
–Chloramphenicol.
–Tetracycline.
–Fluoroquinolones.
YERSINIA ENTEROCOLITICA
CHARACTERISTIC
• Gram negative coccobacilli
• It is motile at 22oC and non motile at 37oC
• Aerobe and facultative anaerobe.
• Classified of various distinct biochemical and serologic
reaction:
+ 6 biotypes of Y.enterocolitica have been
described.
+ More than 60 serotypes of Y.enterocolitica have
been described.
• Habitat: Small intestines
PATHOGENICITY
• Y. enterocolitica causes:
– gastroenteritis, mainly in infants and young children.
• Enteric infection usually produces a watery
diarrhoea.
– occasionally acute mesenteric lymphadenitis.
• Some strains, however, are invasive and toxigenic,
producing an inflammatory reaction with dysentery.
• In adults - lower abdominal pain, fever, and leucocytosis
which may suggest acute appendicitis.
Y. PSEUDOTUBERCULOSIS
PATHOGENESIS
In animals,
Tuberculosis-like symptoms:-
• localized tissue necrosis
• granulomas in the spleen, liver, and lymph node.
In humans,
Symptoms of Pseudotuberculosis (Yersinia) = Y.
enterocolitica
• (fever and right-sided abdominal pain)
• diarrheal component is often absent
• Y. pseudotuberculosis infections can
mimic appendicitis(children,younger adult)
VIRULENCE FACTOR
• plasmid for Yersinia virulence (pYV) –Cause host pathogenesis
and allow the bacteria to live parasitically.
• Yersinia outer membrane proteins (Yops)
- Permits the bacteria to resist internalization by immune and
intestinal cells
- Evade the bactericidal actions of neutrophils and macrophages.
• Cause the unblocking of the secretory pathway
- so that proteins are not expelled into the extracellular
matrix and;
- elicit an immune response.
TREATMENT
Y. pseudotuberculosis:
apparent 5–10 days after exposure
typically lasts 1–3 weeks without treatment.
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test(AST):
• Ampicillin
• Aminoglycosides
• Tetracycline
• Chloramphenicol
• Acephalosporin
BIOCHEMICAL TEST
Oxidase : Neg
Catalase : Pos
Urease : Neg (Y.pestis) pos ( Y.enterocolitica)
Indole : Neg
TSI : Alkaline / Acid (K/A) / No gas
Motility : Motile at 27 Non-motile at 37
Non-lactose fermenter.
MEDIA CULTURE
Blood agar:
small shiny
non-haemolytic colonies after 24-48 h incubation at room
temperature.
Mac Conkey agar:
Very small translucent pink colonies are formed after 24-
48 h incubation.
Y. pestis does not ferment lactose but appears 'lactose-
fermenting' because it takes up the red dye of the
indicator in the medium.
Yersinia selective medium (CIN agar)
Reference
WEBSITES:
+ emedicine.medsc.com
+ pathmicro.med.sc.edu
BOOKS:
+ Essential Microbiology,
+ Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews, Microbiology 2nd Edition
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