Chapter 14: Infectious disease Flashcards
What is an infectious disease?
A disease caused by a pathogen transmitted between organisms. Susceptibility and resistance is different for everyone
What is a pathogen?
A disease causing agent
What is a non-infectious disease
A disease that is not transmitted from one organism to another
What is the function of the immune system?
To differentiate between its own cells and other organisms
What are some non-infectious diseases?
genetic, autoimmune, obesity etc
How to tell if you have a disease?
Symptoms will appear, but not straight away as there is an incubation period
What is a virus?
A non-cellular agent composed of a protein coat and nucleic acid, either DNA or RNA (not both)
How do viruses spread in the body?
They inject its nucleic acid into the host cell, instruct it to replicate, reproduces the virus, undergoes lysis and is released to repeat the process
What is a bacteriophages?
A virus that targets bacteria
What is a prion?
Small infectious proteins that do not have any genetic material
What are the two forms of prion?
Natural prion protein cellular and disease-causing protein form
What is an example of prion caused disease?
Mad cow disease
What is a capsule for bacteria?
Outside cell wall on some bacteria
What is a flagellum on bacteria?
Helps them move
What is an endospore on bacteria?
A hard shell formed to resist unfavourable conditions.
What is binary fission?
The division of a cell, prokaryotic, into two daughter cells
What is fungi?
Eukaryotes which reproduce by spores and have cell walls made up of chitin
Are fungi pathogenic?
yes some can cause diseases, mostly external
What is a protists?
A unicellular, eukaryote that affect hundreds of millions each year
What type of disease is malaria?
Protists
What is a parasite?
An organism which lives in or on its host and gains nutrition while causing harm
What is a endoparasite?
Multicellular internal parasites, eg tape worm
What is a ectoparasite?
A parasite which lives on the surface of its host, eg fleas
What is virulence?
A measure of a pathogens ability to cause a disease
What is virulence factors?
Factors which promote disease causing abilities
What are the virulence factors?
Adherence factors, invasion factors, capsules, toxins and life style changes
What is adherence factors?
features which allow for better adhesion, eg pili on bacteria
What is invasion factors?
A characteristic which helps pathogen invade host, eg, enzymes released to destroy extracellular matrix
What is capsules?
A hard cover, which allows bacteria to live in rough conditions
What are the two toxins release by bacteria?
Endotoxins and exotoxins
What is endotoxins?
A toxin released when bacteria splits causing toxic events
What is exotoxins?
They are more toxic then endotoxins, and target particular cells.
What are the modes of transport for diseases?
Direct contact, body fluid, foodborne, waterborne and vector
What is transmission by direct contact?
Contagious are transmitted by direct contact which is enhanced by asymptotic.
What is transmission via body fluids?
Transmission via fluids which come from the body
What is foodborne transmission?
Transmission via contaminated food which comes through the gastrointestinal tract
What is waterborne transmission?
Transmission via the intake of bad water
What is transmission via vectors?
Transmission via an organism which is infected with the virus. eg. mosquitoes
