Diseases, Pathogens and Immune System (Test Revision) Flashcards
What is a disease?
A change to an organism that negatively impacts on the functioning of that organism.
How many types of disease are there?
2; infectious and non infectious diseases.
Explain the difference between infectious and non infectious disease.
Infectious diseases are transmitted from between people through the transfer of a pathogens and a non infectious disease isn’t.
What is a non infectious disease and give some examples?
A non infectious disease cannot be transmitted through a pathogen and is caused by a variety of other factors such as genetics, ageing and environmental factors.
Some examples of a non infectious disease are cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy.
What is an infectious disease and give some examples?
Infectious disease are transmitted from person to person through the transfer of a pathogen.
Some examples of infectious diseases include the flu, cold and the chickenpox.
What are the four main categories of non infectious diseases?
- Genetic
- Cancer
- Ageing
- Nutritional
What is cancer?
Characterised by abnormal rapid cell growth due to a mutation.
What are some risk factors of cancer?
- Age
- Hormones
- UV radiation exposure
- Smoking
What is a pathogen?
Pathogens are disease causing organisms.
What are the five types of pathogens?
- Bacteria (causes food poisoning)
- Viruses (causes colds)
- Fungi (causes athletes foot)
- Protists (causes gastro)
- Parasites (tape worms)
- Prion
What are the three shapes of bacteria?
- Rod
- Spherical
- Spiral
What is a virus?
Non-living infective particle that reproduces by taking advantage of a host.
what is a parasite?
A parasite is an organism that lives on or in another organism, (their host).
What methods of disease transmission exist?
- Direct contact
- Droplet infection
- Faeces
- Animals
- Body fluids
What are methods of disease control?
- Controlling or killing vectors (sanitation, barriers and traps, insecticides)
- Killing pathogens (antibiotics, antiseptic, disinfectants)
- Quarantine (keeping the affected away from the non-infected)
- Immune response (defence mechanisms that help to protect people)
Pathogen‘s must be able to… to spread between organisms.
- Cross protective barriers of its host
- Multiply inside host
- Avoid hosts immune system
What is an epidemic?
An epidemic is an outbreak of disease that spreads quickly and affects many individuals at once.
What is a pandemic?
A pandemic is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread in multiple countries or worldwide.
What is an antibiotic?
An antibiotic is chemicals that work by killing or reducing the growth of disease.
What is antibiotic resistance?
Antibiotic resistance is when germs like bacteria and fungi defeat the drugs made to kill them.
What is an antibody?
An antibody is a protein produced in response to antigens.
What is an antigen?
An antigen is a protein marker on the outside of a pathogen which is recognised by antibodies.
First line of defence.
Non-specific; includes skin, mucus and chemical secretions of the skin.
Second line of defence
Non specific; includes phagocytes and killer cells and inflammatory response.
Third line of defence
Specific; include the production of B cells and T cells.
B cells
Produce antibodies.
What are three ways in which HIV can be transmitted?
- Unprotected sex
- Mother to baby during pregnancy
- Contaminated blood transfusions
T cells
Target pathogens directly.
What are the main ways that pathogen‘s can gain entry into a human?
- mouth
- eyes
- nose
- ears
- genital openings
What is a host?
A host is a living thing in which a parasite lives in.
What is a vaccine?
Vaccines are designed to prevent disease, rather than treat a disease once you have caught it.
What is a vector?
A vector is a living organism that transmits an infectious agent from one infected living thing to another.
What is the difference between antiseptics and a disinfectant?
Antiseptics are used on the body and Disinfectants are used on surfaces.
How do you kill pathogens that enter the body?
- take antibiotics
- take anti-virals
- wait for innate immune response
Why do people with colds produce a lot of mucus?
The body produces mucous to try clear the pathogen from the airways.
