Bliss Nove Faith Y.

Polley BSN 1C

Guide questions

1. Discuss the medical application of capsule staining.

The capsule stain is used to detect the presence of a bacterial capsule. Standard easy staining
processes or after the Gram stain frequently make it impossible to notice the water-soluble
capsule of some bacterial cells. Many infectious pathogens grow slowly or not at all on culture
media, therefore stains may be the only way to detect them in clinical specimens. Stains give
speedy and cost-effective information for preliminary diagnosis of infectious disorders in the
hands of trained clinical microscopists.
2. What is the relationship between the presence of capsules and bacterial pathogenicity?
The bacteria are helped to connect to the host organism by the capsule. A key function of
capsules in pathogenic bacteria is to shield the bacterial surface from interactions with
components of the host immune system and inhibit either opsonophagocytosis or complement-
mediated lysis in Gram-negative bacteria.
3. Name several microorganisms of the following categories, and the corresponding disease/s they
cause
a. Gram + and capsulated:

Microorganisms Disease/s they cause

Bacillus megaterium  Brain abscess
Bacillus anthracis Anthrax
Streptococcus pyogenes  Pharyngitis, skin infections, acute rheumatic fever, scarlet
fever, poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, a toxic shock–
like syndrome, and necrotizing fasciitis
Streptococcus pneumoniae  Pneumococcal disease, middle ear infections, sepsis (blood
infection) in children and pneumonia in immunocompromised
individuals and the elderly.
Streptococcus agalactiae  Meningitis, infective endocarditis, and sepsis
Staphylococcus epidermidis Infections from implantation of medical devices such as
cardiac devices, orthopedic devices, and CNS shunt. Skin
infections, which are the most common types of staph
infections.Bacteremia, an infection of the bloodstream. Bone
infections. Endocarditis, an infection of the inner lining of the
heart chambers and valves. Food poisoning. Pneumonia.
Staphylococcus aureus Skin infections and sometimes pneumonia, endocarditis, and
osteomyelitis. Abscesses (boils), furuncles, and cellulitis.

b. Gram – and capsulated:

Microorganisms Disease/s they cause

Escherichia coli Cholecystitis, bacteremia, cholangitis, urinary tract infection
(UTI), and traveler's diarrhea, and other clinical infections
such as neonatal meningitis and pneumonia.
Neisseria meningitidis Meningococcal disease
Klebsiella pneumoniae Pneumonia, bloodstream infections, wound or surgical site
infections, and meningitis
Haemophilus influenzae Meningitis (inflammation of the coverings of the spinal
column and brain), bacteremia (infection of the blood), and
pneumonia (infection of the lungs)
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Ventilator-associated pneumonia
Salmonella Typhoid fever or paratyphoid fever
Acinetobacter baumannii Bacteremia, pneumonia, meningitis, urinary tract infection,
and wound infection

c. Capsulated yeast

Microorganisms Disease/s they cause

Candida albicans Vaginal candidiasis., Invasive candidiasis.
 Infections of the mouth, throat, and esophagus.
Cryptococcus neoformans Cryptococcal meningitis
Cryptococcal pneumonia

4. Draw (with color) and describe the morphology of the following bacteria after subjected to
capsule stain.

a. Bacillus anthracis
B. anthracis is a gram positive, non-motile,
rectangular, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterium
with square ends, measuring about 1µ x 3-5µ.
Chain formation is common. After discharge
from an infected animal, or when bacilli from
an open carcass are exposed to free oxygen,
spores are formed which are resistant to
extremes of temperature, chemical
disinfectants, and desiccation. For this reason,
the carcass of an animal that died from anthrax
should not be necropsied.

b. Klebsiella pneumonia
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative,
nonmotile, encapsulated, rod-shaped bacillus
present within the nasopharynx and
gastrointestinal tract of humans and nonhuman
primates. K. pneumonia colonial morphology
on blood agar is mucoid and 3 to 4mm in diameter.
On MAC, K. pneumoniae colonies are pink (LF),
mucoid (usually), and 3 to 4 mm in
diameter. Colonies on Hektoen enteric agar
and XLD are yellow.

c. Haemophilus influenza
Haemophilus influenzae are small, gram-negative, rod-
shaped bacteria. Because of their special growth
requirements, they do not grow on usual blood agar
media, but flourish on the mucosal membranes of the
human respiratory tract where they adhere to the
epithelial cells by fimbriae (a potential vaccine
component). H. influenzae are small, pleomorphic,
gram-negative bacilli or coccobacilli with random
arrangements. H. influenzae is a fastidious organism
which grows best at 35-37°C with ~5% CO2 (or in a
candle-jar) and requires hemin (X factor) and
nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide (NAD, also known as V factor) for growth.