Disease and Infection Flashcards
What is a pathogen?
A micro-organism that causes disease
What are the two types of Pathogen?
Bacteria
Virus
What are bacteria?
Small living cells
How can bacteria make you sick?
Damaging your cells
Producing toxins
What are viruses?
They are not cells. They are not necessarily living
Is a bacteria or virus larger?
Bacteria
What about a virus makes you feel ill?
They viruses damaging your cells.
How do viruses damage the cells?
They enter the cells and make the cells produce copies of the virus. This happens until the cell bursts and releases all the others.
What does your respiratory tract have to stop infection?
They have skin, hairs and mucus to stop pathogens being breathed in.
How does the body prevent infection at cuts?
The platelets will clot the cuts.
What are the three ways White Blood Cells destroy pathogens?
Engulfing them
Producing AntiToxins
Producing Antibodies
What sort of White Blood Cell engulfs pathogens?
Phagocyte
What sort of White blood cell produces Antibodies?
A Lymphocyte
What identifies pathogens?
Antigens.
What is an Antigen?
Molecules on the surface of a pathogen which identify it for White Blood Cells
How do Lymphocytes respond to foreign Antibodies?
They create proteins called Antibodies which kill them
What is injected in Vaccinations?
Dead or inactive forms of the disease.
How does a vaccine prevent infection?
It means the White blood cells immediately produce the antibodies needed to kill the pathogen or fight off the disease.
What does the MMR vaccine stop?
Mumps
Measles
Rubella
What are the positives to vaccination?
They control infectious diseases, i.e.: Polio, measles,smallpox
They can prevent epidemics
What are the negatives to vaccines?
They don’t always work
You have aftereffects like fever or seizures
Name some types of drugs.
Recreational Painkillers Antibiotics Cures Sympton relievers Performance Enhancing Drugs Stimulants
What do Painkillers do?
They do not cure the disease, instead they relieve the symptoms by blocking the pain
What do Antibiotics do?
They kill bacteria
Why is difficult to make drugs to cure viruses?
It’s hard not to damage the cells
How do bacteria become resistant?
They have genetic mutations and this can sometimes make them resistant to the antibiotics
What is MRSA?
An infection of bacteria around wounds. It is resistant to antibiotics like methicillin
How are doctors trying to reduce the development of resistant strains of bacteria?
By only prescribing antibiotics rarely and if serious
What is a culture medium?
What microorganism cultures are grown in
What does Agar Jelly have that makes it a good culture medium?
It has lots of carbohydrates, minerals, proteins and vitamins.
Why are cultures in school labs kept at about 25C?
Because harmful pathogens probably won’t be grown at this temperature
Who found that antiseptic solution and washing hands could reduce deaths?
Ignaz Semmelweis
