Infectious Diseases Flashcards
Disease
A condition that causes the body to function less effectively, and produce specific signs and symptoms
Infectious Diseases
Can be spread from one person to another, caused by disease-causing organisms called pathogens like bacteria and viruses (e.g. influenza, pneumococcus)
How Infectious Diseases Spread
Through:
-Droplets in the air
-Direct Contact
-Contaminated Food & Water
Bacteria
Single-celled organisms without membrane-bound nucleus but has:
-single circular DNA as its genetic material
-cell wall
-ribosomes
-small circular DNA molecules called plasmids
-may have flagella
may or may not be disease-causing/pathogenic
Bacteria
Single-celled organisms without membrane-bound nucleus but has:
-single circular DNA as its genetic material
-cell wall
-ribosomes
-small circular DNA molecules called plasmids
-may have flagella
may or may not be disease-causing/pathogenic
Virus
No cell membrane, cytoplasm, ribosome
Only reproduces when it enters a living cell acting as host
Host cell contains enzymes and ribosomes which are needed for reproduction
Covered by a protein coat, and has DNA/RNA as genetic material
Influenza Virus
Transmitted thru:
-droplets in the air
-direct contact
Symptoms:
-high fever
-headache
-cough
-muscle aches
-stuffy nose
Reducing Transmission of Influenza Virus
- Get the vaccination
- Cover nose & mouth w tissue when sic to avoid spreading to othr ppl/ wear mask
- Wash ya filthy hands
- Don’t touch eyes, nose, mouth
- Take antiviral drugs PRESCRIBED BY A DOC
Pneumococcal Disease
Transmitted thru respirator droplets
Symptoms: fever,headache,vomiting,cough,chest pain,rapid breathing
Attack diff parts of the body: blood infection, middle ear infection
Reducing Transmission of Pneumococcus Bacteria
- Get the vaccine
- Daily preventive actions
- Take antibiotics prescribed by doc
Vaccine
- Contains an agent that resembles a pathogen &
- prevents infectious diseases
- by stimulating wbc quickly to produce antibodies when the pathogen invades
How Vaccines Work
- White blood cells binds to agent
- WBC is stimulated to divide
- WBC produce antibodies
- Antibodies destroy the agent in vaccine
- Some of these WBC remain in bloodstream,
in the future if live pathogens enter the bloodstream, the WBC will recognise them and quickly produce antibodies to destroy the pathogens before they can infect our cells
Antibiotics
Drugs used to treat bacterial infections.
Made by microorganisms and are used to kill/inhibit growth of bacteria.
They work by interfering with growth and metabolic activities of bacteria.
Ineffective against viruses.
How Antibiotics Work
-By inhibiting bacterial cell wall synthesis, which causes the cell wall to weaken and water to enter the cell by osmosis, making the cell expand, burst, and die
-By inhibiting cell membrane function by breaking up bacterial cell membrane.
W/O cell membrane, bacteril cell no longer protected from env, any substance can move into the cell
-By inhibiting protein synthesis in ribosome, by binding to bacterial ribosomes
-By inhibiting enzyme action in cytoplasm, specifically the enzyme needed for synthesis of folic acid, a vitamin required for growth
Why Antibiotics are Ineffective against Viruses
-They act on bacterial cell walls, which viruses dont have
-They break up cell membranes, which viruses dont have
-They act on ribosomes, which viruses do not have
