Infectious Diseases

Question 1

What differentiates the normal flora in your body from a pathogen?

Answer 1

Normal flora: Organisms which live within the body and help with normal functions
Pathogens: An external organism that enters the body and causes disease

Question 2

What is an “opportunistic” pathogen?

Answer 2

An ordinary bacteria which might not cause harm under normal circumstances but which can cause disease in specific conditions.

Question 3

What is the difference between an endotoxin and an exotoxin?

Answer 3

Endotoxin: a toxin created by a pathogen and released periodically
Exotoxin: a part of the pathogen membrane which is released when the pathogen dies and breaks apart

Question 4

What is the difference between a bactericidal and a bacteriostatic antibiotic?

Answer 4

Bactericidal: kills bacteria
Bacteriostatic: prevents bacterial growth/reproduction

Question 5

What is the main difference between bacteria and viruses?

Answer 5

Unlike bacteria, viruses are not alive and must use a host cell’s own reproduction mechanism to replicate.

Question 6

What are 3 other kinds of microorganisms - besides bacteria and viruses - that can affect human health?

Answer 6

1. Prions
2. Fungi
3. Protozoa

Question 7

What are the 3 separate stages of the inflammatory response in humans?

Answer 7

1. Cellular response to injury
2. Vascular response to injury
3. Phagocytosis

Question 8

What are the 4 phases of infection?

Answer 8

1. Latent period
2. Communicable period
3. Incubation period
4. Disease period

Question 9

What is the difference between a convalescent carrier and a chronic carrier of an infectious agent?

Answer 9

Convalescent: recovering from the infectious disease but still capable of transmission
Chronic: a nonsymptomatic person who carries the infectious disease and can transmit it to others

Question 10

What is the difference between active immunity, and acquired immunity, with regard to infectious disease?

Answer 10

Active: Resistance developed by a host in response to an antigen
Acquired: Innate resistance present in a host due to infection by an identical or similar antigen sometime in the host’s past

Question 11

What types of Hepatitis infections are transmitted fecal-oral? Which are transmitted by contact with infected fluids (ex: blood)?

Answer 11

Ass -> Mouth: Hepatitis A, E
Blood: Hepatitis B, C, D

Question 12

What term describes an infection which is acquired in hospital? Why can these be especially severe?

Answer 12

A nosocomial infection occurs in hospitals and can be especially severe because of their high degree of antibiotic resistance.