These are all

rods but can

still be
separated
based on the
way the look
because
there are
different
types of rod,
e.g. long or
stumpy.

Aerobic

RODS

Anaer
obic

(Bacilli is
another
word for
rods)En

Branch
ed
Rods

Aerobe

Anaero
be

Gram Positive

Gram Negative

Bacillus
Low environmental virulence except:
- B. Cerus (food poisoning and opportunistic
infections)
- B. Anthracis (anthrax)

Enterobacteriaeceae
Causes gut infections
- Escherichia (e. coli)
- Klebsiella
- Proteus
- Citrobacter
- Enterobacter
Gut commensal bacteria is mostly aerobic, gram
ve rods as are a lot of gut pathogens.
- Salmonella
- Shigella
- Bother lead to gastroenteritis and enteric
fever)
Non-fermenters
- Pseudomonas
- Acinetobacter
- Stenotrophomonas

Corynebacteria
Skin commensal flora (so can contaminate blood
cultures)
Low virulence
- Sometimes found in prosthetic infections
- C. diphtheriae
Listeria
Can cause bacteremia and meningitis
- Affects the v. young, over 55,
immunocompromised and pregnant
patients
- Acquired from soft cheese or pate
Lactobactillus
Common vaginal flora that protects against
bacterial vaginosis
Clostridia
- C. tetani Tetanus
- C. botulinum Botulism
- C. perfringens Food poisoning and gas
Nocardia
Mainly causes infections in
immunocompromised patients
Can also be stained with a Zeihl-Neelson (acidfast) stain
Actinomyces
Mucosal commensal
- Can cause localized infections in mucosal
disruption commonly in women with the

Bacteroides fragilis
Normal gut flora
Sometimes found in polymicrobial
abdominopelvic sepsis

Gram Positive

Gram Negative

IUD

Cocci
(Mainly cocci
are staph or
strep, not
covered in
this lecture)

CoccoBacilli

Curved
Bacilli

Neisseria
- N. gonorrhea
- N. meningitides (groups A, B, C, Y and
W135)
Moraxella
- M. cararrhalis respiratory tract infections
Brucella
Is a zoonosis that causes febrile illness involving
multiple systems
Notify laboratory if suspected as it is a hazard
Legionella
Atypical pneumonia related to cooling towers and
whirlpools
Bordetella
B. pertussis whooping cough
Haemophilus
- H. influenza type b wide variety of
infections (pneumonia, meningitis,
epiglottitis, osteomyelitis, septic arthritis,
cellulitis)
- H. influenza (other types) causes infection
in patients with predisposing factors e.g.
COPD
- H. ducreyi chanceroid (infection of lymph
nodes in the groin)
Vibro
- V. cholera cholera
- V. parahaemolyticus, V. fluvialis
gastroenteritis related to sea food
consumption
Campylobacter
- C. jejuni most common cause of bacterial
gastroenteritis and occasionally Guillain-

Gram Positive

Gram Negative
Barre
- Other species are much less common
Helicobacter
- H. pylori duodenal ulcers and gastric cancer

Mycobacteria

Spiral Organisms

Other non-Gram staining

bacteria

Fungi

Poorly visible by gram stain but stain pink with Ziehl-Neelsen

There are many species
- M. tuberculosis
- M. bovis
- M. fortuitum
- Etc, etc.
Treponema
- T. pallidum causes syphilis
Borrelia
- B. burgdorferi lymes disease
- B. recurrentis relapsing fever (louse bone)
Leptospiral
- Weils disease a zoonosis from rodents
Chlamydia
- C. pneumonia atypical pneumonia
- C. psittaci Psittacosis (an atypical pneumonia from
parrots)
- C. trachomatis most common cause of urthritis and
PID, neonatal conjunctivitis, reiters syndrome
Mycoplasma
- M. pnemoniae atypical pneumonia
Coxiella burnetii
- Zoonosis causes endocarditis and atypical pneumonia
Rickettsia
- Tick/louse borne vasiculitic infections
Yeasts
- Candida thrush and candidaemia

Cryptococcus neoformans meningitis and

disseminated infections in immunocompromised
patients (AIDS)
- Pnemocystis jiroveci pneumonitis in
immunocompromised patients (AIDS)
Moulds
- Dermatophytes ringworm
- Aspergillus invasive infection of immunocompromised
(Missed out parasites from lecture slides as there was v. limited information)