Chapter 17 Vocab Flashcards
disease
any impaired function of the body with a characteristic set of symptoms
infectious disease
a disease caused by a pathogen (ex. Pneumonia and sexually transmitted diseases)
acute disease
a disease that rapidly impairs the functioning of an organism (ex. Ebola hemorrhagic fever)
chronic disease
a disease that slowly impairs functioning of an organism (ex. heart disease and cancer)
epidemic
a situation in which a pathogen causes a rapid increase in disease
pandemic
an epidemic that occurs over a large geographic region
plague
an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, carried by fleas. Symptoms are swollen glands, black spots, and extreme pain.
malaria
an infectious disease caused by one of the several species of protists in the genus Plasmodium. It has recurrent flulike symptoms.
tuberculosis
a highly contagious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis that primarily infects the lungs. Symptoms are weakness, night sweats, and coughing up blood.
emergent infectious disease
an infectious disease that has not been previously described or has not been common for at least 20 years
acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
an infectious disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
a virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome
ebola hemorrhagic fever
an infectious disease with high death rates, caused by the Ebola virus. Symptoms are fever, vomiting, sometimes internal and external bleeding. Death occurs within 2 weeks
mad cow disease
a disease in which prions mutate into deadly pathogens and slowly damage a cow’s nervous system
prion
a small, beneficial protein that occasionally mutates into a pathogen
swine flu
H1N1; person to person transmission; touching infected surfaces; nose/throat culture; vaccine
severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
SOURCE: Caused by a virus that spreads through coughing and sneezing or skin to skin.
SYMPTOMS: Flu-like symptoms.
FACTS: First appeared in chimps.
SOLUTIONS: No treatment currently exists. Spreads very fast.
west nile virus
SOURCE: A virus that lives in hundreds species of birds and is transmitted by mosquitoes.
SYMPTOMS: The virus can be highly letahl to birds, but most of them survive. In humans, it caused inflammation of the brain sometimes leading to death
FACTS: First case reported in Uganda. Reached New York in 1999.
SOLUTIONS: Increased measures to combat mosquito populations and protect against mosquito bites.
lyme disease
SOURCE: Caused by a bacteria that lives in wild deer and mice and is transmitted to humans through ticks.
SYMPTOMS: Arthritis, Heart disease, Nervous disorders.
FACTS: Reduced the population of foxes. Destroys animal habitat.
nuerotoxin
a chemical that disrupts the nervous systems of animals (ex. insecticide, lead, mercury)
zika virus disease
A virus spread by daytime active Aedes mosquitoes. A pregnant mother can pass it to her baby during pregnancy or around the time of birth leading to severe birth defects.
mutagen
carcinogens that cause damage to the genetic material of a cell
teratogen
chemicals that interfere with the normal development of embryos or fetuses
allergen
a chemical that causes allergic reactions
endocrine disruptor
Chemicals that interfere with normal functioning of hormones in an animal’s body
dose-response study
a study that exposes organisms to different amounts of a chemical and then observes a variety of possible responses, including mortality or changes in behavior or reproduction
acute study
an experiment that exposes organisms to an environmental hazard for a short duration
chronic study
an experiment that exposes organisms to an environmental hazard for a long duration
LD50
the lethal dose of a chemical that kills 50 percent of the individuals in a dose-response study
sublethal effect
the effects of an environmental hazard that are not lethal, but which may impair an organism’s behavior, physiology, or reproduction
ED50
an abbreviation for the effective dose of a chemical that causes 50 percent of the individuals in a dose-response study to display a harmful, but nonlethal, effect
No-observed-effect level (NOEL)
When chemical intake does not show observable side effects.
- Usually a chronic study.
retrospective study
a study that monitors people who have been exposed to an environmental hazard at some point in the past
prospective study
a study that monitors people who might become exposed to harmful chemicals in the future
synergistic interaction
risks that cause more harm together than expected based on separate individual risksrou
route of exposure
the way in which an individual might come into contact with an environmental hazard
solubility
how well a chemical dissolves in a liquid
bioaccumulation
An increased concentration of a chemical within an organism over time.
biomagnification
Gradual increase in concentration of toxic substance through food chain
persistence
the length of time a chemical remains in the environment
environmental hazard
anything in the environment that can potentially cause harm
innocent-until-proven-guilty principle
a principle based on the philosophy that a potential hazard should not be considered an actual hazard until the scientific data definitely demonstrates that it actually causes harm
precautionary principle
a principle based on the philosophy that action should be taken against a plausible environmental hazard
stockholm convention
a 2001 agreement among 127 nations concerning 12 chemicals to be banned, phased out, or reduced
REACH
a 2007 agreement among the nations of the European Union about regulation of chemicals
bird flu
an avian influenza caused by the H1N1 virus
carcinogen
chemicals that cause cancer by causing damage to cells and leading to uncontrolled growth
