6.1.2 - Bacteria as pathogens Flashcards
What is a pathogen?
A microorganism that causes disease.
What are the 2 ways that bacteria can make you ill?
Toxin production
Tissue invasion
What is toxic production?
When bacteria release chemicals which can cause cell damage.
What is tissue invasion?
By growing and dividing in tissues, they can disrupt their normal function.
What are endotoxins?
The lipid part of lipopolysaccharides that form the outer layer of gram negative bacteria.
Features of endotoxins.
Restricted to the bacterium’s cell wall.
They aren’t freely released.
They cause damage around the site of infection.
What are exotoxins?
Soluble proteins that are released by bacteria and are free to move around the body. They are produced by both gram positive and negative bacteria.
Examples of what exotoxins do?
Act as enzymes to break down cells.
Act as enzyme inhibitors to prevent their normal function.
Bind to proteins to prevent their normal function.
Examples of endotoxins.
Salmonella spp
Escheria coli
Examples of exotoxins.
Cholera toxin
Staphylococcus spp
Tetanus toxin
What type of bacteria causes endotoxins?
Gram negative bacteria.
