Lec 22: Human impact – Disease Flashcards
What can disease be caused by?
External or internal factors (pathogens or autoimmune disorders)
What is a disease?
A condition that negatively affects an organism that is not due to external injury
What are the types of disease causes?
airborne, foodborne, lifestyle
What is a non-communicable disease vs communicable disease
nc: can’t be spread from one person to another
c: can be spread, but doesn’t necessarily spread through everyday contact
What is the difference between a contagious and a communicable disease?
contagious: spread from one person to another
communicable: doesnt spread thorugh everyday contact
What is a parasite vs a pathogen? Which can be the other?
parasite: organism that lives in or on a host
pathogen: organism that causes disease within a host
parasites can be pathogenic, but most are not
Which disease wiped out native American populations?
smallpox
Which viral species caused smallpox?
variola major and minor
What caused the black plague?
a bacteria that circulated among wild rats.
transmitted to humans by flees who fed on the rats, or by the rats directly
What caused rats carrying the black plague to travel to more populated areas?
climate fluctuations caused them to move from grasslands to cities
Which influenza strains infect humans?
a,b,c
how often does a new influenza strain appear?
30-40 years
how is malaria spread?
it is a mosquito-borne infectious disease. not spread from human to human
How was the Panama Canal built despite the risk of Malaria?
Huge campaign to control mosquitoes.
What is virulence?
a pathogen’s ability to infect or damage a host
