Lecture 1+2 - Essential Terms

Question 1

Symptoms

Answer 1

• subjective characteristics of a disease that can be felt by the patient alone

Question 2

Signs

Answer 2

• objective manifestations of disease that can be observed or measured by others

Question 3

Syndrome

Answer 3

• a group of symptoms and signs that collectively characterizes a particular disease or abnormal condition

Question 4

Epidemiology

Answer 4

Study of the occurrence, distribution, and spread of disease in humans

Question 5

Exotoxin

Answer 5

Toxin secreted by a pathogenic microorganism into its environment

Question 6

Endotoxin

Answer 6

Potentially fatal toxin released from the cell wall of dead and dying Gram - negative bacteria.

Question 7

Incubation Period

Answer 7

Stage in infectious disease process between infection and occurrence of the first symptoms or signs of disease. In a laboratory culture, the period between adding a sample to a plate and the development of colonies

Question 8

Convalescence

Answer 8

In the infectious disease process, final stage during which the patient recovers from the illness, and tissues and systems are repaired and return to normal

Question 9

Reservoir of Infection

Answer 9

Living or nonliving continuous source of infectious disease

Question 10

Prodromal Period

Answer 10

In the infectious disease process, the short stage of generalized, mild symptoms that precedes illness

Question 11

Nosocomial Disease

Answer 11

A disease acquired in a health care facility

Question 12

Prevalence

Answer 12

In epidemiology, the total number of cases of a disease in a given area or population during a given period of time.

Question 13

Iatrogenic Infection

Answer 13

A subset of nosocomial infections that are the direct result of a medical procedure or treatment, such as surgery.

Question 14

Occurence

Answer 14

The distribution, both geographical and demographical, of diseases

Question 15

Contact Transmission

Answer 15

The spread of pathogens from one host to another by direct contact, indirect contact, or respiratory droplets

Question 16

Vehicle Transmission

Answer 16

Spread of pathogens via air, drinking water, and food, as well as bodily fluids being handled outside the body.

Question 17

Vector Transmission

Answer 17

An animal (typically an arthropod) that transmits disease from one host to another.

Question 18

Pathogenesis

Answer 18

The steps or mechanisms involved in the development of the disease

Question 19

Pathogenecity

Answer 19

The ability to cause disease

Question 20

Pathogen

Answer 20

A microorganism capable of causing disease

Question 21

Pathology

Answer 21

The study of the structural and functional manifestations of the disease

Question 22

Infection

Answer 22

Colonization by a pathogen

Question 23

Infectious disease

Answer 23

A disease caused by a microbe (pathogen)

Question 24

HPV

Answer 24

A DNA virus that establish infections in keratinocytes of the skin or mucus membrane. Highly infectious, long incubation period with no symptoms, Koch’s postulates cannot be used

Question 25

Robert Koch

Answer 25

Came up with Koch’s postulates which are the 4 criteria designed to establish a causal relationship between a microbe and a disease

Question 26

Triangle of Relationships

Answer 26

A triangle showing the relationship between microbes, humans, and drugs, showing how they all effect one another

Question 27

Spreading factors