Question

7 weeks baby girl was brought into the hospital with a rash on the palms of her hands and soles of her feet only with fever, cough and high WBC count. The baby was premature 35 weeks at a weight of 2.97kg. She was treated with Penicillin G for 14 days & testing after that showed the treatment was successful. The parents were treated too. What infection does she have and how would you identify the sources and why? Name the causative agent and what are the virulence factors for it? What type of testing would you use to make sure of your diagnosis? At what stage of the infection is she, and why? Explain the microbial and the immune response. Why penicillin like antibiotics is effective and how does that relate to the virulence factors for the pathogen? (microbiology)

Answer 1

1. The baby is affected with congenital syphilis.

2. The causative agent is Treponema pallidum

3. Source of infection- Transmitted from mother in vitro through placental blood circulation or at birth by contact with a sore of mother.

4. Virulence factor of causative agent-Treponema pallidum spirochetes have more membrane lipoproteins which are responsible for its proinflammatory property.

5. The baby's Stage is secondary stage of acquired syphilis

6. Diagnostic studies:

Dark field examination under microscope to identify organism

Higher rate of IgG antibodies in Infant blood than in maternal blood

Specific IgM test

VDRL test

Bone X-ray

CSF analysis

Eye examination

Lumbar puncture

7. Microbial and immune response for syphilis:

Evoke cellular and humoral immune responses. Humoral response is manifested by production of phospholipids and Treponema antibodies.

Cell mediated immune responses involve activation of macrophages and induction of CD8 T cells and helper CD4 T cells.

8. How pencillin G is effective:

They are beta lactum antibiotics. They bind with the pencillin binding protein in cell wall of the organism and interfere with peptidoglycon production which inhibits the growth of bacterial cell wall. So the cells are killed by pencillin G like antibiotics.