4.1 Disease Prevention Flashcards
What is a pathogen?
A microorganism that causes disease.
Name 4 pathogens.
- bacteria
- virus
- fungi
- protoctista
What is the difference between direct and indirect transmission?
Direct transmission is the pathogen passing from host to host with no intermediary but indirect transmission passes the pathogen via a vector.
What is the primary immune response?
The initial immune system response caused by the first infection. It is slower and can cause symptoms.
What is the secondary immune response?
A faster and stronger immune response caused by a subsequent infection of the same pathogen.
What are primary defences?
Defences that prevent the pathogen from entering the body.
Give examples of primary defences.
- skin
- coughing/sneezing
- tears
- mucous
What are secondary defences?
Defences that combat pathogens once they have entered the body?
What is the difference between specific and non-specific responses?
Specific responses are only for a particular pathogen but non-specific responses can work against many different pathogens.
Give 3 examples of bacterial pathogens.
- tuberculosis
- bacterial meningitis
- ring rot (plants)
Give 3 examples of viral pathogens.
- HIV
- influenza
- tobacco mosaic virus (plants)
Give 3 examples of fungal pathogens.
- athletes foot
- ringworm
- black sigatoka (plants)
Give 2 examples of protoctista pathogens.
-malaria
blight (plants)
What are the 2 non-specific immune responses?
Phagocytosis and Inflamation
What are the 2 types of phagocytes?
Neutrophils and Macrophages
What are the main differences between neutrophils and macrophages.
Neutrophils have a multi-lobed nucleus and macrophages don’t fully digest the pathogen.
What are phagocytes?
Specialised white blood cells (leukocytes) in blood and tissue fluid that engulf and destroy pathogens.
What are opsonins?
Antibodies that bind to the antigens of pathogens and alert phagocytes to come over and bind to them and destroy the pathogen.
Describe phagocytosis.
1) The opsonin binds to the foreign antigen and the phagocyte then binds to the pathogen
2) The phagocyte extends it’s pseudopodia around the pathogen to engulf it by endocytosis
3) The pathogen is trapped inside vesicles in the phagocyte called phagosomes
4) Lysosome enzymes bind to the phagosomes to form phagolysosomes
5) The lysosome enzymes destroy the pathogen
6) If the phagocyte is a macrophage, then the antigens will be presented in it’s surface which can stimulate T-helper cells
What are the 3 types of antibody?
Opsonins, Antitoxins and Agglutins.
What are Agglutins?
Antibodies that clump multiple pathogens together so that they can be more easily engulfed in phagocytosis.
What are Antitoxins?
Antibodies that render the toxins produced by pathogens harmless by binding to the toxins produced by pathogens and neutralising them
What are the two regions in antibodies?
Variable region and Constant region.
Which region in the antibodies is specific to one antigen?
The variable region.
What are the two chains that make up an antibody?
The heavy polypeptide chain and the light polypeptide chain.