Infectious Diseases Flashcards
Acute Disease
Disease in which symptoms develop rapidly and that runs its course quickly
Chronic Disease
Disease with usually mild symptoms that develop slowly and last a long time.
Subacute Disease
Disease with time course and symptoms between acute and chronic
Asymptomatic Disease
Disease without symptoms
Latent Disease
Disease that appears a long time after infection
Communicable Disease
Disease transmitted from one host to another
Contagious Disease
Communicable disease that is easily spread
Noncommunicable Disease
Disease arising from outside of hosts or from opportunistic pathogen
Local Infection
Infection confined to a small region of the body
Systemic Infection
Widespread infection in many systems of the body; often travels in the blood or lymph
Focal Infection
Infection that serves as a source of pathogens for infections at other sites in the body
Primary infection
Initial infection within a given patient
Secondary Infection
Infections that follow a primary infection; often by opportunistic pathogens.
Conditions for the Spread of Illnesses
One person must be infected with a microorganism.
Another person must be susceptible to infection with that microorganism.
The microorganism must be able to leave the body of the infected person and enter the body of the susceptible person.
Susceptibility
Ability to become infected with an organism when exposed to it.
People may lose susceptibility (or become immune) once they have been:
-Infected with the organism
-Vaccinated
Medications may reduce susceptibility temporarily
