Chapter B5- Communicable Diseases Flashcards
What is your health?
A state of physical and mental well-being, not just an absence of disease
What is a communicable disease?
A disease that can be passed from one organism to another
What is a pathogen?
Microorganisms that cause disease
What is a non communicable disease?
A disease that can not be transmitted from one organism to another
Give an example of a communicable disease
Tuberculosis
Flu
Give an example of a non communicable disease
Heart disease
Arthritis
What factors can affect your health?
Diet
Stress
Life situations (gender, class, ethnicity, level of healthcare provided, local sewage/rubbish disposal)
What are communicable diseases known as?
Infectious diseases
Give examples of pathogens?
Bacteria
Viruses
Protists
Fungi
What does harmful bacteria in your body do?
Bacteria divides rapidly by splitting in two. They may produce toxins that affect your body, and can damage your cells
What do viruses do?
Take control of the cell, live and reproduce inside of the cell, killing them
How do pathogens spread?
By air- coughing, sneezing, talking
Other people will breath in these droplets and pick up the infection
Direct contact- contact of healthy organism and infected one
By water- pathogen enters body through your digestive system
What do toxins do?
Damage tissues and make us feel ill
How can you reduce the spread of pathogens?
Basic hygiene- washing hands
Clean drinking water
Stopping from direct contact- using condoms curing sex and not sharing needles
Quarantine- cases such as Ebola, keeping the infected person away
Destroying or controlling vectors- killing mosquitos
Vaccinations- introduce a small part of a harmless form of a disease so that a persons immune system can learn to fight it off
How do you grow microorganisms?
Give them a culture medium- a liquid or gel containing nutrients
Warmth and oxygen are also needed.
Ensure you are avoiding unnecessary contamination
Be safe, in case of mutations that may be caused
What is the maximum temperature one schools that you can culture microorganisms?
25 degrees
What effect does temperature have when growing pathogens?
Too low a temperature- the likelihood of growing pathogens that might be harmful to people is less
Higher temperature- high risk of growing dangerous pathogens
How can you prevent bacterial growth?
Raise or lower temperature
Chemicals can be used to stop or kill them
What is a disinfectant?
Chemicals used to kill bacteria in the environment around us
What is an antiseptic?
A disinfectant that is safe to use on human skin
What is an antibiotic?
An antibiotic is a chemical that can be used inside our body, which kills bacteria or prevents them from growing
What did Ignaz Semmelweis notice?
That many women were dying in childbirth due to an unknown reason. He realised that his medical students would go from dissecting a dead body to birthing children. He also noticed that a doctor died from similar symptoms as the women birthing children, when he got a cut on his hand whilst aiding a childbirth. He concluded that there was an infectious agent, and demanded his students washed their hands before delivering babies. Immediately there were fewer deaths.
What other discoveries were there in the mid-late 19th century?
Louis Pasteur showed that microorganisms caused disease. He developed vaccine against diseases such an anthrax
Joseph Lister started to use antiseptics on pathogens in operating theatres to destroy harmful pathogens
Microscopes improves so that pathogens could be seen more clearly- helped convince people they existed
Give examples of a viral disease
Measles- spread by inhalation of droplets from coughs and sneezes
HIV/AIDS- spread through sexual contact or exchange of bodily fluids
Tobacco mosaic virus- spread by direct contact, or by vectors
What are symptoms of measles?
Fever and a red skin rash
What can prevent the development of aids?
Antiretroviral drugs
Why is measles now rare in the uk?
Due to vaccinations and infected people being isolated
Why is untreated HIV usually fatal?
It develops into AIDS, and attacks your immune system, so even a common cold can kill you
Can viruses be killed by antibiotics?
No
What damage does measles cause?
Problems with the breathing system and the brain
What is the first symptom of HIV?
A flu like illness
Where can salmonella be found?
Raw eggs
Raw meat
Raw poultry
What happens if salmonella gets into our bodies?
Disrupt the balance of natural bacteria and cause salmonella food poisoning
What the symptoms of salmonella?
Fever
Abdominal cramps
Vomiting
Diarrhoea