4th October 2010

In Today’s Class
 Define normal flora/biota
 Identify sterile and non-sterile sites
 Describe the normal flora/biota at non-sterile sites.
 Benefits and harm of normal body flora
Definitions
 Normal Body Flora
 Normal Microflora
 Normal Microbiota

 Describes the various microbial species which inhabit

the skin, mucous membranes and other non-sterile sites
on the animal without causing disease.
 Mixture of organisms regularly found at an anatomical
site
Definitions
 Resident microflora
 those organisms that are always present on the body.

 Transient microflora
 those present temporarily and under certain conditions.
Types of Relationships
 Commensalism

 Mutualism

 Parasitism
Sites of Normal Biota
Site Normal Flora Sterile
Liver √
Skin √
Mucous √
membranes
Lungs √
Colon √
Blood √
Middle and inner √
ear
Brain √
CSF √
Sites of Normal Biota
Site Normal Flora Sterile
Bones √
Vagina √
Heart √
Amniotic fluid √
Distal urethra √
Urinary bladder √
Muscle √
External ear √
Factors influencing the
composition of normal flora
 Genetics
 Age
 Stress
 Geographic location
 Climate
 Nutrition
 Diet
 Drug therapy
 Hormonal changes
Components of normal body flora
 Mainly bacteria
 Eukaryotic fungi
 Protists
 Methanogenic Archaea
Normal body flora and tissues
 Show tissue tropism
 Specialized ligands or adhesins
 Capsules
 Fibriae
 Cell wall components
 Construct biofilms
Sites of normal flora: The skin
 Bacteria
 Staphylococcus spp.
 Staphylococcous epidermidis
 Staphylococcous aureus
 Propionibacterium acnes
 Micrococcus sp.
 Yeasts
 Pityrosporum
 Mites
 Demodex spp.
Sites of normal flora: The
conjunctivae
 Staphylococcus sp.
 Staphylococcus epidermidis
 Staphylococcus aureus

 Propionibacterium acnes

 Streptococcus spp.

 Haemophilus sp.
Sites of normal flora: Upper
respiratory tract of humans
 Staphylococcus spp.
 Staphylococcus epidermidis
 Staphylococcus aureus
 Corynebacterium spp.
 Streptococcus spp.
 Streptococcus pneumonaie
 Streptococcus pyogenes
 Haemophilus influenza
 Neisseria meningitides
Sites of normal body flora: Oral
cavity
 Streptococcus spp.
 Streptococcus salivarius (until teeth appear)
 Streptococcus mutans
 Streptococcus sanguis
 Staphylococcus spp.
 Bacteroides spp.
 Diphtheroids (nonpathogenic Corynebacterium spp.)
 Lactobacillus spp.
Normal body flora: Upper intestinal
tract
 Upper intestinal tract is usually inhospitable to normal
flora
 However
 Some Lactobacillus spp.
 Half of the American population Helicobacter pylori
(pathogenic)
Normal body flora: Lower intestinal
tract- small intestine
 Lactobacillus spp.
 Enterococcus spp.
 Enterococcus faecalis
 Escherichia coli
 Bacteriodes spp.
Normal body flora: Large intestine
 Bacteria present here are qualitatively similar to that
found in faeces
 Bacteriodes spp.
 Lactobacillus spp.
 Bifidobacterium spp.
 Clostridium spp.
 Clostridium perfringens
 Clostridium septicum
Normal body flora: Large intestine
(cont’d)
 Enterobacteriaceae
 E. coli
 Klebsiella
 Enterobacter
 Pseudomonas aeruginosa
 Proteus mirabilis
 Methanogens
Normal body flora: Urogenital tract
 Sterile
 Urinary tract flushes every few hours
Normal body flora: Urethra
 Staphylococcus spp.
 Staphylococcus epidermidis
 Staphylococcus aureus
 Streptococcus spp.
 Enterococcus faecalis
 E. coli
 Proteus sp.
 Corynebacterium sp.
Normal body flora: vagina
 Corynebacterium spp.
 Staphylococcus spp.
 Streptococcus spp.
 Lactobacillus spp.
 E. coli
 Yeasts: Candida albicans
Milk
 Micrococci
 Staphylococci
 Streptococci
 Mycoplasmas
 Corynebacterium bovis
Rumen: Ruminants such as cattle,
sheep, goats
 Rumen bacteria classified according to function
 Fibre-digesting or Cellulolytic bacteria
 Ruminococcus flavefacians
 Ruminococcus albus
 Bacteriodes succinogenes
 Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens (one of the most numerous and
versatile bacteria present).
Rumen: cattle, sheep, goats
 Rumen bacteria classified according to function
 Starch and Sugar-Digesting (or Amylolytic) bacteria
 Bacteriodes ruminocola
 Bacteriodes amylophilus
 Selenomonas ruminantium
 Streptococcus bovis
 Succinomonas amylolytica
Benefits of normal body flora
 The synthesis and excretion of vitamins
 The prevention of colonization by other pathogens
 Normal flora can antagonize other bacteria
 Normal flora can stimulate the development of certain
tissues
 The stimulation of the production of natural
antibodies
Harmful effects of normal flora
 Bacterial synergism
 Competition for nutrients
 Induction of low grade toxaemia
 Normal flora may be agents of disease
 Transfer to susceptible host
Bacterial Synergism

That is one organism can help the other one grow and
survive. Examples of this occur when normal flora
supply vitamins and other growth factors for
pathogenic bacteria to grow, this is called cross-
feeding. Another example of synergism occurs
between microbes such as in “staph-protected
infections” when a penicillin-resistant staphylococcus
(a component of normal flora) shares its drug
resistance with other pathogens.
Thank You for your Attention