All bacterial species are divided into two main groups that are gram-positive and gram-negative. Such division is possible with the help of Gram’s methods based on the evaluation of the physical and chemical properties of bacteria’s cell walls and the detection of peptidoglycan (Ward, 2016). Clostridium is a Gram-positive bacterium. Such bacterium is defined as an obligate anaerobe that could produce endospores and can be classified into more than 100 species in regards to the nature of pathogens in cells.
Among the well-known types of clostridium, there are clostridium difficile, clostridium botulinum, clostridium tetani, and Clostridium sordellii. For example, clostridium difficile is the bacterium that causes antibiotic-associated diarrhea (Ward, 2016) and serious cases of colitis that could be fatal for hospitalized patients (Carton, Daly, & Ramani, 2007). It is a spore-forming bacterium that can survive on various environmental surfaces for a long period.
Therefore, if patients are symptomatic, they are hospitalized and isolated in separate rooms where the risk of crossing this infection turns out to be minimal. As a rule, people, who have the risks of having this bacterium, should be treated during the next ten days with metronidazole or vancomycin (Ward, 2016). Clostridium botulinum aims at producing neurotoxin botulinum that leads to the possibility of having flaccid paralytic among humans (both adults and infants) or animals.
Clostridium tetani is another type of bacterium under consideration that leads to the cases of tetanus in people. It looks like a match through a microscope. As well as other types, clostridium tetanus is a rod-shaped anaerobe. Finally, there is Clostridium sordellii, a rare anaerobe that causes such diseases as pneumonia, arthritis, or even some fatal cases that occur after abortions. The list of clostridium bacteria is far from being full. Still, these types are the most frequent and dangerous for people today.
Neisseria is another large genus of bacteria that cause the development of various infections in the organism. It is the Gram-negative bacteria that look like coffee beans under the microscope. The chosen genus has two main types of this bacterium: Neisseria gonorrhea and Neisseria meningitides. It is possible to guess the main peculiarity of Neisseria gonorrhea with ease. Such a bacterium causes gonorrhea and various sexually transmitted infections (Ward, 2016).
As a rule, the main area of this infection is the urogenital tract. Therefore, men, who get this bacterium, may suffer from penile discharge, and women, who get Neisseria gonorrhea, suffer from severe pelvic pain or some vaginal discharge. Neisseria gonorrhoeae are usually in pairs and can be grown in laboratories. They are dangerous for people. Still, the majority of diseases caused by the presence of this bacterium in the organism can be treated with special antibiotics.
Antibiotics can also be used to treat people with Neisseria meningitides. This gram-negative bacterium has a circular form and is formed in pairs. People, who carry this type of bacterium, are under a threat of having a meningococcal disease or even sepsis that can be a serious life threat. Neisseria meningitides may be spread through the exchange of saliva when people kiss or when kids chew the same things. Also, it can be spread respiratory when people sneeze or cough. In the majority of cases, all types of bacteria are dangerous for people. Sometimes, the organism is ready to fight against Neisseria with the help of antibiotics. Sometimes, the symptoms are hard to observe, and people lose a lot of time to comprehend what kind of bacterium could cause a disease.
References
Carton, J., Daly, R., & Ramani, P. (2007). Clinical pathology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Ward, D. (2016). Microbiology and infection prevention and control for nursing students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Learning Matters.