4.3.1.1 Communicable (Infectious) Diseases Flashcards
1
Q
What are pathogens?
A
- microorganisms that enter body and cause disease
- cause communicable diseases (easily spread)
2
Q
What can pathogens infect?
A
- plants
- animals
3
Q
What are bacteria and what can they do?
A
- very small cells (1/100 the size of bacterium) that reproduce rapidly
- make you feel ill by producing toxins that damage cells and tissues
4
Q
What are viruses and what can they do?
A
- not cells (1/100 the size of bacterium)
- reproduce rapidly
- live inside cells and replicate themselves using cells’ machinery to produce many copies
- cell will them burst which releases new virus
- cell damage makes us feel ill
5
Q
What are protists and what can they do?
A
- eukaryotes, single-celled
- some are parasites that live on or inside other organisms and cause damage, often transferred by a vector which doesn’t get a disease itself
6
Q
What are fungi and what can they do?
A
- some are single-celled, others have a body made of hyphae
- hyphae can grow and penetrate human skin and surface of plants
- they produce spores which can spread to others
7
Q
How can pathogens be spread?
A
- water
- air
- direct contact
8
Q
How can water spread pathogens?
A
- pathogens can be picked up by drinking or bathing in dirty water
- e.g. cholera is a bacterial infection spread by drinking contaminated water
9
Q
How can air spread pathogens?
A
- pathogens can be carried by air then breathed in
- some airborne pathogens are carried in air in droplets produced when coughing or sneezing
10
Q
How can direct contact spread pathogens?
A
- can be picked up by touching contaminated surfaces
- e.g. athlete’s foot is a fungus which can easily by spread by touching the same things like shower floors and towels
11
Q
What can prevent against communicable diseases?
A
- vaccinations
- being hygienic
- isolating infected individuals
