B5 Communicable Diseases Flashcards
Health
A state of physical and mental wellbeing
Factors that have an effect on health
Diet, stress and life situations
Viruses living in cells can trigger changes that can
Lead to cancers
Defects in the immune system due to infections, poor nutrition or genetic makeup can
Make you more likely to suffer from other communicable diseases
Immune reactions initially caused by a pathogen can
Trigger allergies to factors in the environment
Severe physical ill health can lead to
Depression and other mental illness
Difference between viruses and bacteria
Viruses are smaller than bacteria and unlike viruses, some bacteria are useful
Positive uses of bacteria
Make food such as yogurt and cheese, treat sewage, and make medicines
How do bacteria cause disease?
They divide rapidly by splitting in two (binary fission) and produce toxins that affect the body and make you feel ill
How do viruses cause disease?
They take over the cells of your body. They live and reproduce inside the cells, damaging and destroying them
Common disease symptoms
High temperature, headaches, and rashes
How are pathogens spread?
By air, direct contact, and by water
Culture medium
A liquid or gel containing nutrients
Mutation
A change in the DNA
What is the maximum temp at which cultures can be incubated in schools and colleges?
25 degrees c
Why does bacteria have to be incubated at 25 degrees c max in schools and colleges?
If the bacteria was cultured at 37 degrees c (human body temp), there would be a high risk of growing some dangerous pathogens
Why are uncontaminated cultures of microorganisms needed?
To investigate the action of disinfectants and antibiotics
What factors affect the growth rate of bacteria?
Temperature, available nutrients, oxygen levels, and pH
Bacteria at the end of the growth period =
Bacteria at the beginning of the growth period x 2^number of divisions
Antiseptic
A dissinfectant that is safe to use on human skin
Ways to prevent bacterial growth
Change the temperature, disinfectants, antisepctics, and antibiotics
How to investigate the effect of disinfectants and antibiotics
You can add circles of filter paper soaked in different types of disinfectant or antibiotic when you set up the culture plate. The zone of inhibition can be measured to investigate the effect of the different antiseptics/antibiotics on the growth of the bacteria
Ways to prevent infections
Simple hygiene measures, isolating infected individuals, destroying vectors, and vaccination
Symptoms of measles
Fever and a red skin rash
How is measles spread?
Inhalation of droplets from coughs and sneezes (airborne) and is very infectious
How is HIV/AIDS spread?
Direct sexual contact and the exchange of bodily fluids. Can also be passed from mother to child in breast milk.
Symptoms of HIV/AIDS
HIV only causes mild, flu-like symptoms to begin with. It attacks the immune system and remains hidden inside the immune system until the immune system is so badly damaged that it can no longer deal with infections or certain cancer (at this point the patient has developed AIDS)
How to treat measles
There is no treatment for measles so infected patients need to be isolated to stop the spread