Host-Microbe Interaction Flashcards
Define infection.
(n.) the process whereby a microbe enters into a relationship with the host. It may or may not cause disease.
What is an infectious disease, and how does it differ from an infection?
An infectious disease is a disease caused by an infection with a microbe.Some infections are communicable; others are not communicable and are not transmitted from patient to patient.
Pathogens that affect all people equally are ________.
frank pathogens
Pathogens that affect immunocompromised hosts are termed _________.
opportunistic pathogens
Explain the distinction between mucous and mucus.
Mucus is a noun and refers to the substance secreted. Mucous is an adjective describing something (such as a “mucous membrane”).
List Koch’s four postulates of infectious disease.
(1) the microbe is found in characteristic lesions of the disease; (2) the microbe can be isolated and cultured in vitro from lesions; (3) the microbe can be injected into animals to mimic the disease; and (4) the specific microbes can be re-isolated from the animals
How is pathogenicity measured?
By examining the number of organisms required to be infectious in 50% of those inoculated (ID50), to produce disease in 50% of those inoculated (DD50), and to be lethal in 50% of those inoculated (LD50).
Macrophages that reside in the skin are called ________.
Langerhans cells
What is virulence?
The ability of a pathogen to cause disease in a host