B2 - Keeping healthy Flashcards
What is the scientific name for microorganisms that cause disease and make us feel ill?
Pathogens
When microorganisms get into the body, what do they do?
They reproduce quickly and cause symptoms of disease.
What are the symptoms of an infectious BACTERIAL disease caused by?
Damage done to cells by microorganisms or the poisons (TOXINS) by the bacteria.
What are 5 examples of bacterial diseases?
Bacterial meningitis
Tetanus
Salmonella
Tuberculosis (TB)
What are the symptoms of a VIRAL disease caused by?
Damage to the cells as the viruses reproduce
What are 4 examples of viral diseases?
Influenza (Flu)
The Common Cold
Measles
Chickenpox
How do bacteria reproduce?
They reproduce by dividing into TWO.
What is the type of asexual reproduction called that bacteria perform?
Binary fission
What 2 specific conditions do bacteria need in order to reproduce?
Why do they need these conditions?
- A source of NUTRIENTS: for energy
2. WARM, MOIST conditions : so the chemical reactions inside them can take place
What specific condition do viruses need in order to reproduce? How do they get this condition?
What can certain viruses do?
They need a HOST cell to reproduce.
They do this by entering the host cell and hijacking the cell’s mechanisms for making DNA and proteins and make copies of themselves.
Certain viruses can just easily reproduce inside of the body because there are lots of suitable conditions.
How do viruses attack cells?
Copies of the viruses are released in very large numbers from the infected cell and go on to infect other cells and/or other people.
What are the 4 stages to calculate the growth of a microorganism population?
- Work out how many hours the bacteria are reproducing for. Convert this to MINUTES.
- Divide the number of hours (in minutes, e.g. 120) by how many minutes one reproduction takes. This will give you the number of REPRODUCTION PERIODS.
- To work out the number of bacteria after the FIRST reproduction period, multiply the number of bacteria you started with by 2.
- Work out the number you’d have after the second reproduction (multiplying by 2 again).
- Do this until you’ve done ALL the reproduction periods (the answer you got from Step 2).
What are 4 examples of the body’s EXTERNAL defences?
- Skin
- Saliva
- Tears
- Acid in the Stomach
What is our body’s internal defence?
The Immune System
What does the immune system use to defend the body?
White blood cells
What are 2 features of white blood cells?
- Made in the bone marrow
- They are found in several types.
a. Some can engulf and digest invading microorganisms
b. Some can produce ANTIBODIES, which recognise and destroy invading microorganisms.
What are ANTIGENS?
Chemicals on a pathogen’s surface that antibodies recognise as being foreign.
Why is an antibody specific to one antigen?
Because the shape and structure of the antibody must lock in place with the antigen.
(e.g. a pathogen may have this as their antigen: →. A white blood cell may have this is their antibody: Y.)
Once an antibody corresponding to an antigen locks on to it, what are the 2 series of events that happen?
- The White Blood Cell divides to produce many copies.
2. Each white blood cell produces many antibody molecules that lock on to the invading cells.
What 3 things do different types of antibodies do?
- Destroys the invading microorganism
- Enables white blood cells to recognise the microorganisms as being foreign.
- Causes the microorganisms to clump together, meaning it is easier to engulf.
After an infection clears up, what happens?
Memory cells remain in the bloodstream. These can produce large numbers of antibodies very quickly if the microorganisms enters the body again.
At the point where memory cells produce antibodies, what would you classify a person to be?
IMMUNE to that particular antigen.
What does a VACCINE contain?
A SAFE/WEAK form of the microorganism that causes a disease, so that you don’t become ill after receiving it.
Once the vaccine has entered the bloodstream, what happens?
The immune system attacks the microorganism in the vaccine.
How does a vaccine work?
Once it has entered, the immune system would be ‘fooled’ that it is a real disease (when it’s actually not) and so it would attack it. This means that antibodies are produced by the memory cells so that when the real disease returns, it can be easily eliminated. This therefore makes you immune.
What do some pathogens do that cause us to develop new vaccines?
Some pathogens CHANGE RAPIDLY (e.g. influenza) so new vaccines must be developed to tackle this.
How does an epidemic occur?
If a disease spreads rapidly through a population, for example in a city or a country.
How is it possible to avoid an epidemic?
It is necessary to vaccinate a HIGH PERCENTAGE of the population - this leads to HERD IMMUNITY.
What are 2 example of diseases that have been eradicated/reduced?
- SMALLPOX - eradicated completely from the world.
2. MEASLES, MUMPS, RUBELLA (MMR) - reduced.
What is the longer-term aim in terms of vaccinations?
To eradicate certain diseases altogether.
Why must scientists test any new vaccines very carefully?
To check for any SIDE EFFECTS and to check that it is generally safe.
Why can side-effects be more severe in some people than in others?
GENETIC VARIATION
What can no type of medical treatment ever be?
COMPLETELY RISK-FREE
but people often think the risk is higher than it is
Occasionally, what can a child potentially develop?
A minor adverse reaction (e.g. rash/fever)
In VERY RARE CASES, what could a child experience?
Very serious adverse reactions, e.g. anaphylaxis
Any adverse reaction must be recorded and followed up.
Any RISKS of vaccination must be considered against the…?
The BENEFITS of the vaccination.
Any vaccine generating an unusual number of adverse reactions will be quickly withdrawn.
What are antimicrobials?
Chemicals that INHIBIT the growth of microorganisms or kill them, without seriously damaging your own body cells.
They are effective against: bacteria, viruses, fungi.
Why are antimicrobials useful?
They can clear up infections that your own immune system is having trouble with.
What are antibiotics?
A type of antimicrobial that can kill BACTERIA, not viruses.
These can treat illnesses like tuberculosis.
Like all organisms, what can microorganisms sometime develop (in terms of genetic information) ?
Random mutations in their DNA.
What can a random mutation in their DNA lead to for microorganisms?
They can lead to changes in the microorganism’s characteristics. Sometimes, this means that the organism is less affected by a particular antimicrobial.
What is the scientific name that describes an organism that is less affected by an antimicrobial?
RESISTANCE
Why is resistance against antimicrobials advantageous for microorganisms?
They are better able to survive, even in a host who’s being treated to get rid of the infection, and so it lives for longer and reproduces many more times.
What can an antibiotic resistance result in?
The gene for resistance can be passed on to lots of offspring - natural selection. This is how it spreads and becomes more common in a population of microorganism over a period of time.
How should antibiotics be used in order to reduce the likelihood of antibiotic resistance? Give 2 statements.
Antibiotics should be:
- PRESCRIBED ONLY for more SERIOUS infections, when they are really needed.
- COMPLETED, so that the bacteria causing the infection are killed completely.
What is an example of an antibiotic-resistant bacteria?
MRSA - it’s resistant to most antibiotics and is a problem in many hospitals and drug companies.
What are the 4 stages of testing new treatments?
- Vaccines are first tested for safety and effectiveness using human cells in a laboratory. This assesses the effect it has on real human cells.
- Animals are used because they have similar composition of conditions in comparison to us. It must be tested on at least two different species (normally monkeys and rats). However, in some countries, it is illegal to do this.
- HEALTHY Human volunteers (clinical trials) in order to test for safety. SICK human volunteers are also tested in order to test for safety and effectiveness.
- The drug is published to the public. All known side-effects are recorded.
What are the three types of human trials?
Blind, Double-Blind, Open-Label
What is a Blind Trial?
The patient doesn’t know which drug they are receiving but the scientists do.
What is a Double-Blind trial?
Neither the patient nor the scientist knows which drug is being given.