Communicable Diseases Flashcards
What is a communicable disease?
Infectious diseases that are caused by pathogens.
What is a Virus?
An acellular particle that can reproduce rapidly within the body.
How do viruses make us feel ill ?
•to survive and replicate they invade host cells
•the virus particle then inserts it’s own DNA into the host cells DNA which is then copied and used to make more viruses
• Once the Virus particles has been synthesised it causes the cell burst realising the new virus to invade more cells
•This cell damage makes us feel ill
What drugs are used to treat viruses?
Antiviral drugs
What are bacteria?
Small living cells that either damage cells directly or by producing toxins.
What are some ideal conditions for bacteria to grow?
•Moist conditions
•conditions where there is a good supply of oxygen
•warm conditions
•Time
How do airborne diseases spread?
• caused by pathogenic microbes that are small enough to be discharged from an infected person
• via coughing, sneezing, laughing
•The discharged microbe remains suspended in the air on dust particles and respiratory water droplets
How does direct contact spread diseases?
•pathogens pass from infected person to healthy person
•via physical contact with blood or body fluids
What drugs are used to treat bacterial infections ?
Antibiotics
What are fungi?
They are unicellular or multicellular organisms that have body made up of hyphae
How do fungi make us feel ill?
• The hyphae are able to grow and penetrate tissues e.g. human skin or plant surfaces
•The hyphae produce spores that can spread to other animals or plants
What are protists?
Single celled Eukyarotic organisms (they have a nucleas). Lots fo protists are parasites (they live on or inside other organsims)
What are some ways to stop the spread of disease?
•being hygienic e.g. washing your hands after before preparing food or after you’ve sneezed
•destroying vectors e.g. destroying mosquito habitats so they can no longer breed and spread malaria
•isolating infected individuals to stop them passing disease on
•vaccination
