Infection and Response Flashcards
What is a pathogen?
A microorganism that causes disease.
Name the four main types of pathogen.
Bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protists.
How do bacteria cause disease?
By releasing toxins and damaging cells.
How do viruses cause disease?
By invading and reproducing inside host cells, causing them to burst.
Give two examples of bacterial diseases.
Salmonella and gonorrhoea.
Give two examples of viral diseases.
Measles and HIV/AIDS.
What is a vector in the spread of disease?
An organism that carries and transmits a pathogen (e.g., a mosquito).
How is measles spread?
Through droplets from coughs and sneezes.
How is malaria transmitted?
By mosquitoes that carry the malaria protist.
What are the symptoms of salmonella?
Fever, stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
What is a vaccine?
A substance containing a weakened or inactive form of a pathogen to stimulate immunity.
How do vaccines protect against disease?
They stimulate white blood cells to produce antibodies, creating memory cells for faster response in future infections.
What is an antibiotic?
A medicine that kills or inhibits the growth of bacteria.
Why don’t antibiotics work on viruses?
Viruses live inside host cells, so antibiotics cannot target them without damaging body cells.
What is antibiotic resistance?
When bacteria mutate and develop immunity to antibiotics, making treatment less effective.
Give an example of an antibiotic-resistant bacterial strain.
MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).
Why is it important to complete a full course of antibiotics?
To ensure all bacteria are killed and to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance.
What is a placebo in drug testing?
A fake treatment used as a control to compare the effectiveness of a real drug.
What are the three main stages of drug development?
Preclinical testing (cells and animals), clinical trials (healthy volunteers and patients), and licensing.
Why are double-blind trials used in drug testing?
To prevent bias—neither the patient nor the doctor knows who received the real drug or the placebo.
What is a non-communicable disease?
A disease that is not spread between individuals and is often caused by lifestyle or genetic factors.
Give two examples of non-communicable diseases.
Coronary heart disease and cancer.
What lifestyle factors increase the risk of developing cancer?
Smoking, UV exposure, and alcohol consumption.
How does smoking affect the cardiovascular system?
It damages artery walls, increasing the risk of heart disease and strokes.
What is a benign tumour?
A growth of abnormal cells that do not invade other tissues or spread to other parts of the body.
