Chapter 17 Flashcards
What is a micro-organism?
Microscopic organism that can grow in or on a host organism and cause disease
What is an infection?
Establishment and growth of microorganisms on or in host
What happens when an infection causes injury to host?
Disease
What microorganisms cause disease?
Pathogenic Microorganisms
What do Pathogenic Microorganisms do?
Cause obstruction by multipying in large numbers
Cause tissue damage
Secrete organic substances called exotoxins
Side effects of exotoxins:
high body temp, nausea, vomitting, shock
What are the four infection agents?
Bacteria
Viruses
Fungi
Protozoan
Characteristics of Bacteria and how are they classifed?
Microscopic, single cell, simple organization
Prokaryotes (lacks nucleus)
Classified by morphology, biochemistry, and genetic constituion
What are Endospores?
Highly resisitant form of bacteria in resting state
Common bacterias:
Streptococcal Pharyngitis (strep throat)
Klebsiella Pneumoniae (Pneumonia)
Clostridium Botulinum (Botulism - food poisioning)
Characteristics of Viruses and how are they classified?
Simpler in form compared to bacteria or animal cells
Neither prokaryotic nor eukaryotic - conisdered obligate intracellular parasites
Cannot live outside a living cell, it needs a host
Classified by its nucleic acid, size and symmetry
What is a Virion?
Viral particle that attaches to a host and inserts genetic info
Why does herpes simplex just appear now and then?
Latent or dormant infection: travels in nervous system and reappears sporadically
Common viruses:
Epstein-Barr (Mono)
Papillomavirous (HPV)
Rhinovirus (Common cold)
Characteristics of Fungi
Eukaryotic organism with membrane-bound organelles
Larger than bacteria
Can be dimorphic - grow into 2 distinct forms
What are the two forms Fungi can grow into?
Filamentous hypha - mold
Yeast
How does Fungi look under microscope?
Similar to a tree or plant
Diseases caused by Fungi
Superficial - discoloration of skin - example: Tinea nigra - black/brown on palm/planter
Cutaneous infection - keratinized tissue - Example: Tinea pedis (Athlete’s Foot) or Ringworm
Subcutaneous fungal infections via skin trauma
Systemic, via circulatory or lymphatic system; may be fatal
Characteristics of Protozoa
Unicellular, neither plant nor animal
No cell wall, greater size than bacteria
Motile and Eukaryotic
Can ingest food particles and some have Rudimentary - basic digestive systems
Classifed by Motility
Can form cysts which can help them survive while out of the host
Typical protozoan infections:
Trichomonas vaginalis
Plasmodium Vivax - malaria
6 steps of establishment of disease:
- Encounter
- Entry
- Spread
- Multipy
- Damage
- Outcome
Microorganisms that can pass through the placenta are:
Congenital infections
Two types of congential infections:
Rubella
Syphilis
When are we exposed to infectious microorganisms?
Birth
Some encounters we get rid of, others become:
Colonizers
What systems are in direct contact with external environment?
Digestive
Billiary
Urinary
Respiratory
Peritoneal cavity - women
Two ways to acqiure infections by entry to the body:
Ingression - does not involve deep tissue penetration
Penetration - skin layer broke by microorganism
Common Ingression and symptoms:
Ingested food & water
Inhale aerosols/dust
diarrhea and pneumonia
Types of microbes that penetrate:
Vectors - ticks, fleas, mosquitos
Phaygocytes
What is a phaygocyte?
Engulfs foreign microbes and transports it deeper
More important barrier to overcome is hosts:
immune system
What determines the degree of spread?
Where the microbe enters and where it ends up
The time that the microorganism takes before it multiplies is the:
Incubation period
Damage to cells can be:
Direct or Indirect
What is direct damage?
Cell death caused by destruction of the host cell
Toxins and posion secreted by infectious agent
What is indirect damage to a host?
Metabolism is altered
Death can result if a person has ingested toxins by the organism that causes:
Botulism
3 outcomes of infection:
Host controls the infection
The infectious agent overcomes the host’s immunities to cause disease
The host and infectious agent compromise and live in somewhat anxious state of symbiosis (they live together)
For infections to be transmitted, the following must exist:
Host
Infectious microorganism
Mode of transportation
What is a host?
Human
What are the modes of transportation?
Exogenously or endogenously
What is exogenously?
Microorganism transmitted outside of the body (can be indirect or direct)
What is direct transportation?
When infected individuals transmit infection by holding hands, coughing, sexual contact, etc
What is the common type of infection that may be spread by direct contact?
Staphylococcal Aureus (impetigo)
Liquid mediums of direct transportation:
Phlegm, aerosols, sneezing, coughing, excretions (urine and feces)
What are ways of indirect spreading?
Vectors (carriers) transfer infectious agent from one host to another
Formites