Diseases Flashcards
What is Pathology?
The study of diseases
What are the types of diseases?
Infectious diseases, Nutrient deficiency, Allergies, Hereditary diseases.
What is a pathogen?
a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease.
What is virulence?
the strength of a pathogen
What is the lifespan of a pathogen?
Usually 14 days
What is a host?
A place where a pathogen goes to fuck shit up
What is resistance?
The host’s defense against the pathogen.
Does an aging pathogen get weaker or stronger?
weaker
Does an aging host get weaker or stronger?
weaker
What will be the conditions if both the host and pathogen are strong?
The host will get pretty sick, but they will have a fast recovery.
What is the most important type of disease?
Infections
What causes infections?
Microorganisms like viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa.
How are fungi harmful to organisms?
They cause skin diseases in humans and and very dangerous to plants.
What is the cure for nutrient deficiency?
Intaking more of the nutrient that the person needs.
What is an example of nutrient deficiency?
Scurvy
What are allergies?
Reactions of organisms to irritating environmental substances.
What are some extreme cases of allergies?
hay fever, hives, death
What are hereditary diseases?
genetically passed diseases. (ie. hemophillia)
What are the types of defense mechanisms?
Natural defense and artificial defense
What is natural defense?
a body defending itself by itself
What is artificial defense?
A body being defended from the outside
What is an antibiotic?
A chemical made by a living microorganism that defeats other bacteria.
What is and example of an antibiotic that doesn’t work anymore?
Penicillin because of bacterial evolution
What are the three types of natural defense?
Mechanical barriers, phagocytes, and the immune system.
What are some mechanical barriers?
Unbroken skin, mucus, sneezing, crying, coughing, sweating, spitting, etc.
What are phagocytes?
A type of white blood cell by which pathogens are caught.
How does phagocytosis work?
the cell creates extensions called pseudopods and eats the pathogen up by surrounding the pathogen with the merging pseudopods. The pathogen is stored in the food vacuole and is digested by fusing the pathogen with the lysosomes.
What are lymphocytes?
Another type of white blood cell that produces proteins called antibodies.
What are antibodies?
proteins that kill bacteria
Are antibodies always there?
No. they are acquired after one’s body makes them.
What are the difference between antibodies and phagocytes?
Antibodies are specific while phagocytes will eat anything.
What is the course of natural defense?
- person get sick
- the person makes antibodies after 14 days (doesn’t work for the first time)
- You have enough antibodies so that you will never get that sickness again.
What is the course of artificial immunity?
- get a vaccine
- make antibodies
- never getting sick
What is a vaccine?
It is weak, or dead form of the disease
What is the job of the vaccine?
A form of the virus enters the body, and as a result the body makes antibodies to fight off the disease.
What is active defense?
Making your own antibodies
What is passive defense?
Getting antibodies from an outside source.
What are the types of immunity?
Active and natural, passive and natural, active and artificial, passive and artificial.
What is Active and natural immunity?
Making antibodies without a vaccine, like getting chicken pox and not getting it again.
What is passive and natural immunity?
Getting immunity from another source (found in nature), like a mother breastfeeding.
What is active and artificial immunity?
You make antibodies, but it is induced by a vaccine.
What is passive and artificial immunity?
Getting immunity from an outside source through scientific assistance (like a tetanus shot form a horse).
Who is Edward Jenner?
The man who created the first vaccine, almost killing a child in the process. (It was a long night and Eddy had too much to drink)
Who is Louis Pasteur?
The man who found out how vaccines worked (and the most famous scientist next to Bill Nye).
