8. Infection and Defects in Mechanisms of Defense Flashcards
ability to spread from one individual to others and cause disease
communicability
ability of a pathogen to invade and multiply in the host
infectivity
capacity of a pathogen to cause severe disease
virulence
ability of an agent to produce disease
pathogenicity
What does pathogenicity of an agent depend on?
their communicability, infectivity, extent of tissue damage, and virulence
route to infect a host
portal of entry
ability to produce soluble toxins or endotoxins (greater influence pathogen’s degree of virulence)
toxigenicity
opportunistic bacteria that is commonly found on skin and nasal passages but is also a major cause of HAI and abx resistance
staphylococcus aureus
thick capsule that helps microbes adhere to plastic/prosthetics
biofilm
T/F: S. aureus uses biofilms to colonize but doesn’t produce toxins
False: produces and secretes exotoxins as well as uses biofilms
proteins created and secreted by the bacteria to have a virulence effect -> can damage plasma membranes or inactivate enzymes needed for protein synthesis
exotoxins
Explain how endotoxins can activate inflammatory response and produce fever
When bacterial cell dies -> membrane is disrupted -> releases LPS (lipid A portion) -> lipid A exposed to the immune system -> causes fever, shock, and DIC
what type of bacteria produce endotoxins?
gram-negative bacteria
Explain what causes endotoxic shock
bacteria growing in blood (septicemia) -> release endotoxins -> activate complement and clotting systems -> increased capillary permeability -> large volumes of plasma escape to surrounding tissues -> hypotension -> shock
4 ways of transmitted viruses
- aerosol - infected blood - sexual contact - vector (ex. mosquitos)
changing of viral surface antigens to evade the immune system (seen in influenza)
antigenic variation
antigenic drift vs shift
- antigenic drift: minor change in surface antigens due to mutations -> leads to weakened protection against virus - antigenic shift: major change where genome is segmented and undergoes recombination (usually zoonotic)
What 2 proteins classify influenza and what do they do?
- H protein (hemagglutinin): attachment and fusion (entry into cell) - N protein (neuraminidase): facilitates release of viral proteins from host cell
large microorganisms w/ thick, rigid cell walls without peptidoglycan
fungus/mycoses
Because fungus cell wall is missing peptidoglycans, what medications are they resistant to?
penicillins and cephalosporins
- most common cause of fungal infections - opportunistic fungus that is normally found in the skin, GI tract, and vagina but can cause localized infection if overgrown -> disseminates if immunocompromised
Candida albicans
eukaryotic, unicellular microorganisms include malaria, amoeba, and flagellates
protozoa
how do protozoa spread?
via vectors or ingestion
Bactericidal vs Bacteriostatic
- bactericidal: kill bacteria; # of cells in the colony will decline after administration of abx - bacteriostatic: arrest growth -> stops cells from doubling and allows host immune system to take care of them