Communicable Diseases Flashcards
What are pathogens?
Pathogens are microorganisms that enter the body and cause disease.
What do pathogens cause?
They cause communicable (infectious) diseases which can easily spread.
What can be infected by pathogens?
Both plants and animals
How many types of pathogens are there?
4 TYPES: bacteria, viruses, protists or fungi.
What are bacterial pathogens?
They are very small cells (about 1/100th the size of your body cells), which can reproduce rapidly inside your body.
How do bacterial pathogens make you feel ill?
They produce toxins (poisons) that damage your cells and tissues.
What are viral pathogens?
Viruses are not cells. They’re tiny (about 1/100th the size of a bacterium, which can reproduce rapidly inside your body.
How do viral pathogens make you feel ill?
They live inside your cells and replicate themselves using the cells’ machinery to produce many copies of themselves. The cell will usually then burst, releasing all the new viruses. This cell damage causes you to feel ill/sick.
What are protist pathogens?
They are all eukaryotes and most of them are single-celled. Some protists are parasites.
How do protist pathogens cause disease?
The parasites live on or inside other organisms and can cause them damage. They are often transferred to the organism via a vector, which doesn’t get the disease itself.
What are fungal pathogens?
Some fungi are single-celled. Others have a body which is made up of hyphae (thread-like structures)
How do fungal pathogens cause diseases?
Hyphae can grow and penetrate human skin and the surface of plants, causing diseases. Hyphae can also produce spores, which can spread to other plants and animals.
How can pathogens be spread?
Pathogens can be spread in many ways, but here are the main ones: water, air or through direct contact.
