Bordetella species
Overview
- B. bronchiseptica infects a wide range of animal species worldwide
- B. avium resticted to birds
- Normal inhabitants of upper respiratory tract
- Cause repsiratory diseases including rhinitis, tracheitis, bronchitis and bronchiolitis
- Exogenous or endogenous infection
- Poor survival in the environment
- Transmission between animals
- Young animals particularly susceptible
- Predisposing factors include stress and concurrent infections
- High morbidity; low mortality
Characteristics
- Gram negative rods
- Strict aerobes
- Grow slowly
- Catalase and oxidase positive
- Non-lactose fermentors
- Grow on MacConkey agar
- Toxigenic strains agglutinate mammalian red blood cells
- Identical S form LPS in all strains of B. bronchiseptica - 1 diagnostic antigen
- B. bronchiseptica haemolytic, whereas B. avium not
- Affinity for ciliated respiratory epithelium
Pathogenesis and pathogenicity
- Use pathogenicity factors such as filamentous haemagglutanin (only B. bronchiseptica), fimbriae and pertactin to adhere to ciliated respiratory epithelium
- Produce toxins:
- Adenylate cyclase (leucocyte toxin - kills phagocytes) (only B. bronchiseptica)
- Tracheal cytotoxin (inhibits DNA synthesis in ciliated cells)
- Dermonecrotic toxin
- Pathogenicity factors activated by environment and genetic changes
- Regulatory locus, BvgAS, mediates the activation
- Phase variation: genetic switch of Bvg locus allows transciption of pathogenicity factors
- Phenotypic modulation: temperature, magnesium ions and nicotinic acid affect expression of pathogenicity factors
- Bvg positive allows expression of pathogenicity factors and toxins and colonisation
- Bvg negative may allow survival in the environment with production of flagellae
- Mucosal IgA prevent attachment of bacteria to cilia, but clearance from the respiratory tract may take weeks
- Carrier animals are a source of infection
Diagnosis
- Samples include nasal swabs, tracheal aspirates and exudates
- Cultured on blood agar and MacConkey agar
- Biochemical profiles
- Slide agglutination tests for virulence of isolates
Pages in category "Bordetella species"
The following 3 pages are in this category, out of 3 total.