Doctors and Diseases Flashcards
What are the seven life processes?
Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity to stimuli, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion, Nutrition.
What are microbes? List some kinds of microbe.
Or micro-organisms. They are small kinds of living thing that can only be seen with a microscope. Bacteria Viruses Fungi Algae Viroids Prions
List some features of viruses.
They reproduce by viral replication.
Most scientists argue that they are not technically alive — they cannot carry out the seven life processes by themselves BUT they can if they get into a host cell.
By themselves, they move and are sensitive to stimuli.
List some features of fungi.
Not all fungi are microbes e.g. mushrooms, which have many cells.
However, yeasts, moulds, etc. are microbes.
Yeast reproduce by budding — asexual reproduction.
List some disease-causing viruses.
Influenza. Mumps. Measles. Rubella. HIV. Chickenpox. Monkeypox. COVID-19 and other coronaviruses. Poliomyelitis. Smallpox. Rabies. Viral meningitis. Roseola. Rhinoviruses. Viral tonsillitis.
Rearrange from largest to smallest size: bacterium, yeast, virus.
Yeast (avg: 3-4µm).
Bacterium (avg: 2µm).
Virus (avg: 0.02-0.03µm).
List some disease-causing bacteria.
Food-poisoning-causing bacteria. Sore-throat-causing bacteria. Tuberculosis. Tetanus. Cholera. Impetigo. Typhoid. Syphilis. Pertussis. Bacterial meningitis. Bacterial tonsillitis. Typhus. Yersinis pestis (septicæmic, bubonic and pulmonary). Lyme disease. Legionnaires’ disease [NB: not necessarily capitalised].
List some disease-causing fungi.
Athlete’s foot. Fungal sinusitis. Ringworm. Thrush. Discoloured-toe-nail-causing fungi.
What are some transmission methods for microbes?
Contaminated food/drink (e.g. food poisoning/influenza (infected glasses)).
Water (e.g. influenza/athlete’s foot).
Bodily fluids — incl. blood, sexual fluids, breast milk, saliva, vomit, urine, diarrhœa, mucus (incl. sputum/phlegm) (e.g. roseola/HIV).
Zoonotic — animal transmission (e.g. rabies).
STDs/STIs (e.g. syphilis).
Contact — direct/indirect (e.g. chickenpox).
What are the structure of bacteria, viruses and fungi?
Refer to physical flashcard.
Describe an experiment to demonstrate yeast’s optimum temperature.
5g of sugar + 3.5g of yeast + 100g in a large beaker. Add 65cm^3 of water in slowly while stirring until smooth paste.
Pour/spoon 20cm^3 (record this) into three measuring cylinders. Push stuck bits w/ stirring rod.
Label cylinders as cold (4°C), cool (20°C) and warm (45°C).
Put cylinders in different places (e.g. fridge, sitting room and oven) and leave for ~hour.
Record new volume.
4°C (24cm^3).
20°C (39cm^3).
45°C (67cm^3).
Optimum temp.: 45°C.
CO2 causes yeast to rise — to prove that yeast is necessary, simply remove it from experiment + dough will stay flat.
Dough may still not rise — too cold — no oxygen/yeast in one area — dead yeast in one area.
Dough ferments (anærobic respiration of yeast).
More sugar — a higher peak + a higher rate BUT it slows more quickly as it is quickly used up.
What are some ways to kill microbes?
Cooking (e.g. food poisoning).
Soap/antiseptics/disinfectants (e.g. typhoid/TB).
Chlorine (e.g. legionnaires’ disease).
Pasteurisation.
Salting.
Pickling (storing in ethanoic acid/brine).
Canning.
What are some ways to slow down the spread of microbes/control their population size?
These are known as mitigating/limiting factors — they slow down the R(eproduction) rate.
Freezing.
Refrigerating.
Drying.
In which conditions will microbes spread the quickest?
In their optimum conditions:
At their optimum temperatures (usually rather warm).
Amount of water (damp conditions are better).
Amount of glucose.
What are superbugs? what are some examples?
Bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and often other forms of treatment.
MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus).
C. difficile.
