Ch. 9.2- Infectious Disease transmission and stages

Question 1

Define reservoir

Answer 1

Animate or inanimate object where the pathogen is naturally found. Often these can harbor the infectious agent without damaging itself.

Question 2

Define source

Answer 2

The thing that disseminates the agent from the reservoir to new hosts.

Question 3

How is vertical transmission accomplished?

Answer 3

In uterus
From vagina
From breast milk

Question 4

Define infectivity

Answer 4

How good a disease is at establishing infection

Question 5

Virulence

Answer 5

Severity of disease following infection.

Question 6

Pathogenicity

Answer 6

The general ability of an infectious agent to cause disease. Different from virulence because some agents may not be pathogenic and some may be pathogenic, but the pathogenicity doesn’t describe how severe the infection might become once an infection has been established.

Question 7

Chronic carrier

Answer 7

Someone who has a disease in their body, but may only exhibit symptoms from time to time

Question 8

Asymptomatic Carrier

Answer 8

Someone who has a disease in their body, but never exhibits signs or symptoms. This group can still transit the disease to others.

Question 9

What are the two primary goals of epidemiology?

Answer 9

1) Describe the nature, cause, and extent of new or existing diseases in populations.
2) Intervene to protect and improve health in populations.

Question 10

What does the epidemiology triangle represent?

Answer 10

The who (the host) the what (the etiological agent) and the where (the environment).

Question 11

Population

Answer 11

Any defined group of people

Question 12

Morbidity

Answer 12

Presence of a disease in a population

Question 13

Mortality

Answer 13

Death