infective organs Flashcards
what is a pathogen?
its anything that causes diseases
what does a pathogen cause?
cliniical symptoms
it also causes pathogenic effects
- these can vary with organism
- it can affect different parts of the body- may not be related to the site of entry of the pathogen
- can vary in severity
- can be restricted to certian populations due to their genetic material
- can be accute or chronic
- study of different organisms to understand them- useful for food, medical reasons and commercial interest
what are the characteristics of a virus?
- theyre small
- theyre made up of genetic material
what is the structure of a virus?
core- 1 or 2 molecules of DNA/ RNA
capsid- RNA/DNA enclosed in a protein coat
envelope- some have an outer layer which can have lipids, carbohydrates and proteins in it
virion- a virus particle, 10-400nm
what is the life cycle of a virus?
- an extracellular virion enters the host cell and begins its ‘intracellular phase’
- specific cell target ‘virus factory’ relases virions
- retroviruses make host cells create their DNA from RNA viral template
what does the host have to control to stop a virus infecting itself?
- the virus particles (virions)
- the virus infected cells
- viral toxins
what is measles?
its a viral infection caused by the measles virus
the virus is an envloped single-stranded RNA virus of the genus morbillivirus
its also very contagous and responsible for 6 million deaths in the 1960s
what is coronavirus?
its a viral infection caused by (SARS)-CoV-2
what is the structure of (SARS)-CoV-2?
it has positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus
it also has an envelope and glycoproteins on its surface
e.g. spike protein is 50-200nm
what is transmission of (SARS)-CoV-2 caused by?
- its mainly caused by respiritory droplets, direct human contact and fecal-oral route may also occur
what does (SARS)-CoV-2 affect?
- it affects the respiritory tract, initial symptoms of common cold, fever, dry cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, diarrhoea, severe pneumonia, difficulty breathing and can be fatal
what are bacteria?
theyre microspopic organisms that can be free-living or parasitic
what are the three main shapes of bacteria?
- rod
- spherical
- spiral
what is more complex: viruses or bacteria?
bacteria
what are some of the structures bacteria have?
- cell wall
- a capsule around the cell wall
- outside structures i.e flagellum and/or pilli
- BUT the structure depends on the species