B3- Communicable Disease Flashcards
What are pathogens?
Microorganisms that enter the body and cause disease.
Pathogens cause communicable (infectious) diseases that can easily spread.
Can both plants and animals be infected by pathogens?
Yes.
Both plants and animals can be affected by various types of pathogens.
How small are bacteria compared to body cells?
About 1/100th the size of body cells.
Bacteria can reproduce rapidly inside the body.
How do bacteria make you feel ill?
By producing toxins that damage cells and tissues.
Toxins are poisons that affect the body’s normal functioning.
Are viruses considered cells?
No, viruses are not cells.
Viruses are much smaller than bacteria.
What is the size comparison of a virus to a bacterium?
About 1/100th the size of a bacterium.
Viruses replicate inside body cells using the cells’ machinery.
What typically happens to a cell when a virus replicates inside it?
The cell usually bursts, releasing new viruses.
This cell damage contributes to illness.
What are protists?
Single-celled eukaryotes.
Some protists can be parasites that cause damage to other organisms.
What is a parasite?
An organism that lives on or inside another organism and can cause damage.
Parasites are often transferred by vectors, which do not get the disease.
What are the characteristics of fungi?
Some fungi are single-celled, while others have a body made up of hyphae.
Hyphae can penetrate human skin and plant surfaces to cause diseases.
How do hyphae reproduce?
By producing spores that can be spread to other plants and animals.
Spores are a means of reproduction for fungi.
Name a way pathogens can be spread through water.
By drinking or bathing in dirty water.
Cholera is an example of a bacterial infection spread this way.
How can pathogens be spread through the air?
By being carried in droplets produced when someone coughs or sneezes.
The influenza virus is an example of an airborne pathogen.
What is an example of a pathogen spread by direct contact?
Athlete’s foot, a fungus.
It spreads by touching contaminated surfaces like shower floors and towels.
