Bacillus

anthracis
With central
endospores

Bacillus
anthracis
With central
endospores

Clostridium
tetani
With
terminal
endospores

Genus Bacillus
Gram-positive, endosporeforming, motile rods
Mostly saprobic
Aerobic and catalase
positive
Bacillus grows well on 5%
sheep blood agar and

chocolate agar but not

MacConkey agar
Aerobic growth of large
spore-forming grampositive rods positive for
catalase strongly
presumptive for Bacillus
Gram stain.
The cells have
characteristic
squared ends. The
endospores are ellipsoidal
shaped and located
centrally in the
sporangium. The spores
are highly refractile to
light and resistant to
staining.
Bacillus anthracis
o Large, block-shaped
rods
o Central spores that
develop under all
conditions except in the
living body
o Virulence factors
polypeptide capsule
and exotoxins
o 3 types of anthrax:
cutaneous
spores enter
through skin,
black sore-

eschar; least
dangerous
pulmonary
inhalation of
spores
gastrointestinal
ingested spores
o Colonies of B.
anthracis on sheep
blood agar large (4-5
mm), flat, and white
to gray with irregular
edges and no hemolysis
ANAEROBIC GRAM POSITIVE
SPORE-FORMING BACILLI
Clostridium perfringens (gas
gangrene)
o Gram-positive, sporeforming rods
o Anaerobic and catalase
negative
o Large, box car-shaped
gram positive rods;
spores produced but
rarely observed; grows
rapidly; obligate
anaerobe.
o Produces double zones
of beta hemolysis
o virulence factors
toxins
alpha toxin
causes RBC
rupture,
edema &
tissue
destruction
Beta toxin
-Responsible
for
necrotizing
enterocolitis
; other
toxins
increase
vascular
permeability

; and
enterotoxin
causes food
poisoning.
collagenase
hyaluronidase
DNase
Clostridium tetani
o causes tetanus or
lockjaw, a
neuromuscular disease
o spores usually enter
through accidental
puncture wounds,
burns, umbilical stumps,

frostbite, & crushed

body parts
o tetanospasmin
neurotoxin causes
paralysis
Clostridium botulinum
o food poisoning
(canned food)
toxin causes
paralysis by
preventing release of
acetylcholine
GRAM POSITIVE REGULAR
NON-SPORE FORMING BACILLI
Listeria monocytogenes
o Non-spore-forming
Gram-positive
o Ranging from
coccobacilli to long
filaments
o Resistant to cold, heat,
salt, pH extremes and
bile
o Virulence Factors

Hemolysin
( Listeriolysin O)damages
macrophage
Catalase
Superoxide
dismutase
Phospholipid C
P60 surface
proteinMicroscopic morphology
Gram Positive
nonspore-forming
coccobacillary,
pairs or short
chains

o
o

o
o
o
o

o
o

Colony Morphology
Grows well on
blood agar;
colonies produce a
narrow zone of
hemolysis similar
to Group B
Streptococcus
Small, round and
translucent

GRAM POSITIVE IRREGULAR

NON-SPORE FORMING BACILLI
Corynebacterium diptheriae
o Gram-positive irregular
bacilli

exposure to respiratory
droplets
Confirm identification by
fermentation reactions
(glucose +)
Catalase positive
Urease negative
Non-motile
Virulence factors
diphtherotoxin
exotoxin
Stained
Corynebacterium cells
"Barred"
appearance
"Chinese-letter"
arrangement of
cells

Clinical
Sore throat,
nausea, vomiting,
swollen lymph
nodes;
Pseudomembrane
formation can
cause
asphyxiation

Pathogenic Gram-Positive
Cocci (Staphylococci)
Gram-positive cocci,
nonmotile, facultative
anaerobes
grapelike clusters
o Staphylococcus aureus
o Staphylococcus
epidermidis
Pathogenicity
o Protein A coats the cell
surface
Inhibits the
complement
cascade

Clumping Factor (Bound

coagulase)
Fibrin clots hide
the bacteria from
phagocytic cells
o polysaccharide slime
layers (often called
capsules)
Inhibit chemotaxis
of and
phagocytosis by
leukocytes
Facilitates
attachment of
Staphylococcus to
artificial surfaces
o Coagulase
Triggers blood
clotting
o Hyaluronidase
enabling the
bacteria to spread
between cells
o Staphylokinase
allowing
Staphylococcus
aureus to free
itself from clots
o Lipases
Digest lipids,
allowing
staphylococcus to
grow
o -lactamase
Breaks down
penicillin
Allows the
bacteria to survive
treatment with lactam
o Toxins
Cytolytic toxins
Exfoliative toxins
Toxic-shocksyndrome toxin
Enterotoxins
Pathogenic Gram-Positive
Cocci (Streptococci)
o

chains
and
diploes,

nonmotile,
some

are

capsulated,
anaerobes, facultative
anaerobes, non-spore formers
Antigenic structure
o Group specific cell wall
antigen
o M protein
o T substance
o Nucleoprotein: Psubstance
Toxins and Enzymes
o AStreptokinase(Fibrinolys
in).
o B- Streptodornase.
o C- Hyaluronidase.
o D- Erythrogenic Toxins.
o E - Diphosphopyridine
nucleotidase.
o F- Hemolysins
Streptococcus pyogenes

(Strep throat/scarlet fever)

o Fever
o Tonsillitis

o
o
o

Enlarged lymph nodes

Middle-ear infection
Toxins
S. pyogenes
elaborates two
hemolysins(strept
olysins):
Streptolysin O
(ASOT) and
Streptolysin S(B
hemolysis)
M protein adhesin

Streptococcus pneumonia
o Pneumococcus
o Encapsulated
o Often secondary
infection following
influenza virus
o -hemolytic; optochin
sensitivity, bile
solubility, inulin
fermentation
o