Medical Microbiology

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TaxonomyandOverviewofHumanPathogenicBacteria 221

Table3. 9 Continued:OverviewoftheMedicallyMostImportantBacteria

Family
Genus,species

Characteristics Clinical
manifestations

Continued:Section2.
Clostridiumbotulinum Motile,neurotoxinsA,B,
andG

Botulism,usuallyingestion
oftoxinwithfood
Clostridiumperfringens
andfurtherclostridiae

Nonmotile,exotoxins,
andexoenzymes

1 .Anaerobiccellulitis
2.Gasgangrene
(myonecrosis)
Clostridiumdifficile Motile,enterotoxin(toxinA),
cytotoxin(toxinB)

Pseudomembranouscolitis
(oftenantiboticassociated)

Section3.Regular,nonsporing,Gram-positiverods
Listeriamonocytogenes Slenderrods,weakb-hemo-
lysisonbloodagar,motile
at 208 C,ubiquitous(soil)

Meningitis,sepsis
(neonates,immuno-
compromisedpersons),
epidemicgastroenteritis
ErysipelothrixrhusiopathiaeTransmittedfromdiseased
pigs

Erysipeloid(todayrare)

Gardnerellavaginalis Floraofthenormalgenital
mucosa

Contributestovaginosis

Section4.Irregular,nonsporing,Gram-positiverods
Corynebacteriaceae Mostlynormalbacterial
floraoftheskinandmucosa,
aerobic

Onlyfewspeciescause
disease

Corynebacterium
diphtheriae

Clubshape,pleomorphic,
diphtheriaexotoxin(A+B)

Diphtheria(throat,nose,
wounds)
Actinomycetaceae Normalbacterialfloraofthe
mucosa,anaerobicormicro-
aerophilic
Actinomycesisraeliiand
furtherActinomycesspp.

Filaments(alsobranched) Actinomycosis(cervico-
facial,thoracic,abdominal,
pelvic)
Nocardiaceae Nonmotile,obligately
aerobic,filaments,partially
acid-fast

Habitat:soilandaquatic
biotopes

3

Kayser, Medical Microbiology © 2005 Thieme

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