Acknowledgments Substantial contributions of Eugene D. Shapiro to this chapter in previous editions are recognized with gratitude. Borrelia Species (Relapsing Fever) Borellia species are generally divided in two major groups: B. burgdorferi sensu lato, which includes the causative agents of…
Pathogenesis and Immunity Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, a cylindrical, fastidious, microaerophilic bacterium that replicates very slowly and requires special medium for in vitro growth. Its cell membrane is covered by flagella and a loosely associated outer…
Acknowledgments Substantial contributions of Eugene D. Shapiro to this chapter in previous editions are recognized with gratitude. Pathogens and Pathogenesis The Leptospira genus consists of a group of motile, finely coiled, catalase-producing spirochetal bacteria that are obligate aerobes . The…
Yaws Yaws ( Treponema pallidum subsp. Pertenue infection) is an infectious disease of childhood. It is seen in warm, humid tropical regions in rural, often inaccessible areas and is associated with poverty, overcrowding, poor hygiene, and lack of access to…
Four diseases are associated with pathogenic treponemes: (1) venereal syphilis, caused by Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum ; (2) yaws, caused by T. pallidum subsp. pertenue ; (3) endemic syphilis, or bejel, caused by T. pallidum subsp. endemicum ; and (4)…
A large number of gram-negative coccobacilli have been reported to cause infections in humans. This chapter describes three coccobacilli not discussed in other chapters. These organisms are important in specific epidemiologic and clinical settings and present special problems of diagnosis…
Streptobacillus moniliformis, S. hongkongensis, and S. notomytis of the genus Streptobacillus cause infection in humans. They are fastidious, nonmotile, gram-negative, pleomorphic, and often filamentous, beaded, facultative anaerobic bacilli. S. moniliformis can exist in two phases: the bacillary phase and the…
Rickettsia Prowazekii (Classic Louse-Borne Epidemic Typhus: Brill-Zinsser Disease Or Recrudescent Typhus; Sylvatic Or Flying Squirrel-Associated Typhus) Description of Pathogen Rickettsia prowazekii is a small, gram-negative, obligately intracellular, rod-shaped bacterium. R. prowazekii possesses a regularly arrayed surface autotransporter protein (OmpB) layer…
Description of The Pathogen Rickettsia rickettsii, the etiologic agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), is a small, obligately intracellular, gram-negative, rod-shaped organism that is among the most pathogenic of all known bacteria. Although R. rickettsii can infect several different…
Investigation of an outbreak of pneumonia among attendees at an American Legion Convention in Philadelphia in 1976 revealed a previously unrecognized causative pathogen, Legionella pneumophila. , Infection with Legionella spp. occurs in sporadic and outbreak forms and is one etiology…