A
What is the name of specialized cells in the central and peripheral nervous system that function to transfer signals throughout the body?
Neurons
1. What is the etiological agent of toxoplasmosis?
2. What animal acts as the definitive host for the pathogen?
1. Toxoplasma gondii
2. Cats
Which nervous system tissues support and care for the CNS by supplying nutrients, removing waste, and protecting the CNS from physical shocks?
Meninges
Which is more dangerous- bacterial or viral meningitis?
Bacterial Meningitis
Botulism toxin causes what type of paralysis?
Flaccid
What is the etiological agent of cryptococcosis?
Cryptococcus neoformans
What is the etiological agent of pneumococcal meningitis?
Streptococcus pneumoniae
West Nile and La Crosse viruses are neuroinvasive. If they cause a system-wide infection (= systemic infection), what 2 conditions can result?
Meningitis & Encephalitis
What bacteria and serotype causes Haemophilus meningitis?
Haemophilus influenzae
What is the etiological agent of Listeria meningitis?
Listeria Monocytogenes
What is the etiological agent of meningococcal meningitis?
Neisseria meningitidis
What is the etiological agent of tetanus?
Clostridium tetani
What are the 2 main viruses that cause meningitis?
Enteroviruses such as coxsackieviruses and poliovirus
What are the 2 neuroinvasive arboviruses that are most seen in the United States?
West Nile virus and La Crosse virus
What is flaccid paralysis?
Paralysis caused by an inability to contract muscles
What are most human prion cases due to?
Non-variant CJD, or Creuztfeldt-Jakob disease
What is the name of the disease (in general) that prions cause?
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, or TSE
How does a person contract African sleeping sickness?
Carried by the blood-sucking tsetse fly from host to host
What is BSE?
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease
What is the gut-brain axis?
The complex, back-and-forth communication that occurs between the endocrine, immune, and nervous systems and the gastrointestinal tract
What is the advantage of Listeria monocytogenes’ intracellular lifestyle?
Capable of growing at a wide range of pH and temperature, including refrigeration temperatures
What are neurotransmitters?
Chemical messengers released by neurons in response to an internal and external stimuli
What is the function of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and where is it located?
Cushions and nourishes the central nervous system, Located in subarachnoid space
What is the danger of S. pneumoniae exotoxin?
Stimulates severe inflammation and provokes host tissue damage as immune cells release oxygen radicals and enzyme-destroying proteins in response to the toxin
How is West Nile virus contracted?
Mosquitoes become infected with the virus upon taking a blood meal from an infected reservoir, usually an infected bird. When infected mosquitoes feed on animals, some of the viruses already in their stomachs gets regurgitated into the bite of the latest victim
What is meningitis, encephalitis, and meningoencephalitis?
Meningitis - Inflammation of any of the meninges; viruses are the most common cause of meningitis; however, bacteria (and less commonly parasites and fungi) are also culprits
Encephalitis - Inflammation of the brain; viruses are the most common cause; however, bacteria (and less commonly parasites and fungi) are also culprits
Meningoencephalitis - Inflammation of the meninges (meningitis) occurring along with inflammation of the brain (encephalitis); the condition displays a variable combination of meningitis and encephalitis symptoms; viruses are the most common cause of both meningitis and encephalitis; however, bacteria (and less commonly parasites and fungi) are also culprits
What is poliomyelitis?
A viral infection, more commonly known as polio, that affects the nervous system and is caused by the poliovirus, which belongs to the Picornaviridae family of very small RNA viruses that have only a protein capsid without an envelope; the poliovirus is cytolytic, causing rapid cell rupture after infection and viral replication; this lysis of infected neurons causes severe inflammation, giving the disease its name: inflammation of the myelin, or myelitis; if poliovirus reaches the CNS, it can attack different areas of the spine and brain, causing muscle weakness or paralysis; with development of vaccines against this pathogen, there has been a massive decrease in the incidence of polio, a result that is considered to be one of the triumphs of modern medicine
What is scrapie?
European sheep have a long history of a disease called scrapie. This disease is named for the way that affected sheep rub their skin raw on fences