Why is Streptococcus pneumoniae capable of causing pneumonia?

Why is Streptococcus pneumoniae capable of causing pneumonia?

Streptococcus pneumoniae, which initially inhabits the mucosal surfaces of the nasopharynx in its hosts (17), can migrate to the lungs, where it causes pneumococcal pneumonia (17).

Who worked with mice and bacteria that causes pneumonia?

Griffith used two strains of pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae) bacteria which infect mice – a type III-S (smooth) which was virulent, and a type II-R (rough) strain which was nonvirulent.

What is the most common bacteria responsible for pneumonia?

Common Causes of Pneumonia A common cause of bacterial pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus). However, clinicians are not always able to find out which germ caused someone to get sick with pneumonia. Community-acquired pneumonia is when someone develops pneumonia in the community (not in a hospital).

What is the shape of the bacteria that causes pneumococcal pneumonia?

Pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae): Are Gram-positive bacteria in the shape of a slightly pointed cocci. They are usually found in pairs (diplococci), but are also found singly and in short chains.

What is the main cause of pathogenesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae?

Pneumococcal surface proteins: S. pneumoniae has a large variety of surface-exposed proteins (17, 72) that aid in its pathogenesis by acting as adhesins to host cells and hindering the host’s immune system, specifically the complement system (22, 27, 51, 145, 146).

What are the virulence factors of Streptococcus pneumonia?

Important pneumococcal virulence factors include: the capsule; the cell wall; choline-binding proteins; pneumococcal surface proteins A and C (PspA and PspC); the LPXTG-anchored neuraminidase proteins; hyaluronate lyase (Hyl); pneumococcal adhesion and virulence A (PavA); enolase (Eno); pneumolysin; autolysin A (LytA); …

How do you induce pneumonia in mice?

Induction of pneumonia in mice Each mouse was inoculated by intranasal instillation with 50 μL of a bacterial suspension containing ~8 log10 CFU/mL. After instillation, animals were held in a vertical position during 10 min hanging from their incisor teeth to favor migration of bacteria to the alveoli by gravity.

What type of bacteria killed the mouse in this experiment?

Transformation Experiment. Pneumococcus bacteria include two strains, a virulent S strain with a Smooth glycoprotein coat that kills mice (left), and a non-virulent R Rough strain that does not (middle).

What are the 3 major causes of pneumonia?

The three main causes of pneumonia are bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Treatment depends on the cause. Pneumonia is a type of infection that affects your lungs. It can affect one or both lungs.

Are there different types of bacterial pneumonia?

Based on the area of the lung involved, pneumonia can be classified histologically into lobular, lobar, bronchopneumonia, and interstitial. The major types of acute bacterial pneumonia include: Bronchopneumonia: A descending infection started around bronchi and bronchioles, which then spreads locally into the lungs.

What is the structure of pneumonia bacteria?

pneumoniae is roughly six layers thick and is composed of peptidoglycan with teichoic acid attached to approximately every third N-acetylmuramic acid. Lipoteichoic acid is chemically identical to the teichoic acid but is attached to the cell membrane by a lipid moiety.

What is the microscopic difference between R and S strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae?

The bacteriologists were interested in the difference between two strains of Streptococci that Frederick Griffith had identified in 1923: one, the S (smooth) strain, has a polysaccharide coat and produces smooth, shiny colonies on a lab plate; the other, the R (rough) strain, lacks the coat and produces colonies that …