NEET MDS Lessons
General Microbiology
Test for Antigen - Antibody Reactions
Antigens are those substance that stimulates the production of antibodies which, when enter into the body it reacts specifically in a manner that are clearly visible.
Some antigens may not induce antibody production, but instead creates immunological tolerance.
An antigen introduced into the body produces only specific antibodies and will react with only those specific antigens.
These antibodies appear in the serum and tissue fluids. All antibodies are considered as immunoglobulin. They are mainly of five classes; IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD and IgE.
Antigen- antibody reactions are known as serological reactions and are used as serological diagnostic tests for the identification of infectious diseases.
The reaction occurs mainly in three stages;
1. The initial interaction between the antigen and antibody, which produces no visible effects. It is a reversible and rapid reaction.
2. The secondary stage leads to the demonstration proceedings, such as precipitation, agglutination, etc.
3. The tertiary reaction follows the neutralization or destruction of injurious antigens. These results in clinical allergy and other immunological diseases.
There are certain characteristics for antigen-antibody reactions;
1. Reaction is specific.
2. The whole molecules participate in the reaction, and not just a part of it.
3. No denaturation of antigen or antibody occurs during the reaction.
4. The combination usually occurs at the surface.
5. The combination is firm, but reversible
6. Agglutinins formed after agglutination usually are formed by both antigen and antibody together.
7. They can combine in varying proportions.
Measurement of antigen and antibody are made in terms of mass or as units or titre.
Serological reactions include;
1. Precipitation reaction
a soluble antigen combining with the specific antibody in the presence of electrolytes at a suitable temperature and pH forming insoluble precipitins. Commonly used tests are ring test, slide test, tube test, immunodiffusion, etc.
Radial Immunodiffusion
In radial immunodiffusion antibody is incorporated into the agar gel as it is poured and different dilutions of the antigen are placed in holes punched into the agar. As the antigen diffuses into the gel, it reacts with the antibody and when the equivalence point is reached a ring of precipitation is formed .
This test is commonly used in the clinical laboratory for the determination of immunoglobulin levels in patient samples.
Immunoelectrophoresis
In immunoelectrophoresis, a complex mixture of antigens is placed in a well punched out of an agar gel and the antigens are electrophoresed so that the antigen are separated according to their charge. After electrophoresis, a trough is cut in the gel and antibodies are added. As the antibodies diffuse into the agar, precipitin lines are produced in the equivalence zone when an antigen/antibody reaction occurs .
This tests is used for the qualitative analysis of complex mixtures of antigens
This test can also be used to evaluate purity of isolated serum proteins.
Countercurrent electrophoresis
In this test the antigen and antibody are placed in wells punched out of an agar gel and the antigen and antibody are electrophoresed into each other where they form a precipitation line.
2. Agglutination reaction
when a particulate antigen is mixed with its antibody in the presence of electrolytes at a suitable temperature and pH, the particles are clumped or agglutinated. When the antigen is an erythrocyte the term hemagglutination is used.
Applications of agglutination tests
i. Determination of blood types or antibodies to blood group antigens.
ii. To assess bacterial infections
e.g. A rise in titer of an antibody to a particular bacterium indicates an infection with that bacterial type. N.B. a fourfold rise in titer is generally taken as a significant rise in antibody titer.
Passive hemagglutination
The agglutination test only works with particulate antigens. However, it is possible to coat erythrocytes with a soluble antigen (e.g. viral antigen, a polysaccharide or a hapten) and use the coated red blood cells in an agglutination test for antibody to the soluble antigen . This is called passive hemagglutination.
The test is performed just like the agglutination test.
Applications include detection of antibodies to soluble antigens and detection of antibodies to viral antigens.
Coomb's Test (Antiglobulin Test)
DIRECT ANTIGLOBULIN TEST (DAT)
The DAT is used to detect IgG or C3 bound to the surface of the red cell. In patients with hemolysis, the DAT is useful in determining whether there is an immune etiology.
A positive DAT can occur without hemolysis
Immune causes of hemolysis including autoimmune hemolytic anemias, drug induced hemolysis, and delayed or acute hemolytic transfusion reactions are characterized by a positive DAT.
INDIRECT ANTIGLOBULIN TEST (IAT)
The IAT (antibody screen) is performed by incubating patient serum with reagent screening red cells for approximately 20 minutes and then observing for agglutination. If the antibody screen is positive, additional testing is required to determine the specificity of the antibody.
The IAT is used to detect red cell antibodies in patient serum. Approximately 5% of patients have a positive IAT due to IgG antibodies, IgM antibodies, or both.
3. Complement fixation test (CFT)
the ability of antigen antibody complexes to fix complement is made use in this test. Complement is something which takes part in any immunological reaction and absorbed during the combining of antigen with its specific antibody.
The best example of CFT is the Wassermann reaction done for the detection of Syphilis.
4. Neutralization test
different types of these are available. Virus neutralization, toxin neutralization, etc. are some of its kind.
5. Opsonization
this makes use of the determination of opsonic index, which is the ratio of the phagocytic activity of patient’s blood to the phagocytic activity of the normal patient’s for a given bacterium.
6. Immunfluorescence
the method of labeling the antibodies with fluorescent dyes and using them for the detection of antigens in tissues.
7. Radioimmunoassay (RIA)
is a competitive binding radioisotopes and enzymes are used as labels to conjugate with antigens or antibodies.
8. Enzyme Immuno Assay (EIA)
the assays based on the measurement of enzyme labeled antigen or antibody. The most common example is ELISA used to detect HIV.
9. Immunoelectroblot
it uses the sensitivity of Enzyme immunoassay with a greater specificity. Example is Western blot done for the serodiagnosis of HIV infection.
ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY REACTIONS
I. NATURE OF ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY REACTIONS
A. Lock and Key Concept
The combining site of an antibody is located in the Fab portion of the molecule and is constructed from the hypervariable regions of the heavy and light chains. Antigen-antibody reactions is one of a key (i.e. the antigen) which fits into a lock (i.e. the antibody).
B. Non-covalent Bonds
The bonds that hold the antigen to the antibody combining site are all non-covalent in nature. These include hydrogen bonds, electrostatic bonds, Van der Waals forces and hydrophobic bonds.
C. Reversibility
Since antigen-antibody reactions occur via non-covalent bonds, they are by their nature reversible.
II. AFFINITY AND AVIDITY
A. Affinity
Antibody affinity is the strength of the reaction between a single antigenic determinant and a single combining site on the antibody. It is the sum of the attractive and repulsive forces operating between the antigenic determinant and the combining site of the antibody .
B. Avidity
Avidity is a measure of the overall strength of binding of an antigen with many antigenic determinants and multivalent antibodies. Avidity is influenced by both the valence of the antibody and the valence of the antigen. Avidity is more than the sum of the individual affinities.
III. SPECIFICITY AND CROSS REACTIVITY
A. Specificity
Specificity refers to the ability of an individual antibody combining site to react with only one antigenic determinant or the ability of a population of antibody molecules to react with only one antigen. In general, there is a high degree of specificity in antigen-antibody reactions.
B. Cross reactivity
Cross reactivity refers to the ability of an individual antibody combining site to react with more than one antigenic determinant or the ability of a population of antibody molecules to react with more than one antigen.
Enzymes:
Serum lysozyme:
Provides innate & nonspecific immunity
Lysozyme is a hydrolytic enzyme capable of digesting bacterial cell walls containing peptidoglycan
• In the process of cell death, lysosomal NZs fxn mainly to aulolyse necrotic cells (NOT “mediate cell degradation”)
• Attacks bacterial cells by breaking the bond between NAG and NAM.
• Peptidoglycan – the rigid component of cell walls in most bacteria – not found in archaebacteria or eukaryotic cells
• Lysozyme is found in serum, tears, saliva, egg whites & phagocytic cells protecting the host nonspecifically from microorganisms
Superoxide dismutase: catalyzes the destruction of O2 free radicals protecting O2-metabolizing cells against harmful effects
Catalase:
- catalyzes the decomposition of H2O2 into H2O & O2
- Aerobic bacteria and facultative anaerobic w/ catalase are able to resist the effects of H2O2
- Anaerobic bacteria w/o catalase are sensitive to H2O2 (Peroxide), like Strep
- Anaerobic bacteria (obligate anaerobes) lack superoxide dismutase or catalase
- Staph makes catalase, where Strep does not have enough staff to make it
Coagulase
- Converts Fibronogen to fibrin
• Coagulase test is the prime criterion for classifying a bug as Staph aureus – from other Staph species
• Coagulase is important to the pathogenicity of S. aureus because it helps to establish the typical abscess lesion
• Coagulase also coats the surface w/ fibrin upon contact w/ blood, making it harder to phagocytize
CELLS ORGANELLES
Cell parts:
Mitochondrion – double MB structure responsible for cellular metabolism – powerhouse of the cell
Nucleus – controls synthetic activities and stores genetic information
Ribosome – site of mRNA attachment and amino acid assembly, protein synthesis
Endoplasmic reticulum – functions in intracellular transportation
Gogli apparatus/complex – composed of membranous sacs – involved in production of large CHO molecules & lysosomes
Lysosome – organelle contains hydrolytic enzymes necessary for intracellular digestion
Membrane bag containing digestive enzymes
Cellular food digestion – lysosome MB fuses w/ MB of food vacuole & squirts the enzymes inside. Digested food diffuses through the vacuole MB to enter the cell to be used for energy or growth. Lysosome MB keeps the cell iself from being digested
-Involved mostly in cells that like to phagocytose
-Involved in autolytic and digestive processes
-Formed when the Golgi complex packages up an especially large vesicle of digestive enzyme proteins
Phagosome
– vesicle that forms around a particle (bacterial or other) w/in the phagocyte that engulfed it
- Then separates from the cell membrane bag & fuses w/ lysozome to receive contents
- This coupling forms phagolysosomes in which digestion of the engulfed particle occurs
Microbodies:
- Contain catalase
- Bounded by a single membrane bag
- Compartments specialized for specific metabolic pathways
- Similar in function to lysosomes, but are smaller & isolate metabolic reactions involving H2O2
- Two general families:
· Peroxisomes: transfer H2 to O2, producing H2O2 – generally not found in plants
· Glyoxysomes: common in fat-storing tissues of the germinating seeds of plants
¨ Contain enzymes that convert fats to sugar to make the energy stored in the oils of the seed available
Inclusions
– transitory, non-living metabolic byproducts found in the cytoplasm of the cell
- May appear as fat droplets, CHO accumulations, or engulfed foreign matter.
NORMAL MICROBIAL FLORA
A. Properties. Normal microbial flora describes the population of microorganisms that usually reside in the body. The microbiological flora can be defined as either
1) Resident flora - A relatively fixed population that will repopulate if disturbed,
2) Transient flora - that are derived from the local environment. These microbes usually reside in the body without invasion and can
even prevent infection by more pathogenic organisms, a phenomenon known as bacterial interference.
The flora have commensal functions such as vitamin K synthesis. However, they may cause invasive disease in immunocompromised hosts or if displaced from their normal area.
B. Location. Microbial flora differ in composition depending on their anatomical locations and microenvironments. The distribution of normal microbial flora.
CROSS INFECTION AND STERLIZATION IN DENTISTRY
Cross infection is defined as the transmission of infectious agents amongst patients and staff with in hospital environment.
Routes of Infection
Two routes are important : transdermal and respiratory.
In transdermal route microorganisms enter the tissues of the recipient by means of injection through intact skin or mucosa (usually due to an accident involving a sharp instrument) or via defects in the skin e.g. recent cuts and abrasions.
Microorganisms causing cross infection in dentistry
Transmitted through skin
Bacteria : Treponema pallidum, Staphylococcus aureus
Viruses :Hepatitis virus, HIV ,Herpes simplex virus, Mumps, Measles , Epstein-Barr virus
Fungi: Dermatomycoses, Candidiasis,
Transmitted through aerosols
Bordetella pertussis, Myco.tuberculosis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Influenza virus
Rhinovirus, Rubella