Lecture 1+2 - Essential Terms Flashcards
Symptoms
- subjective characteristics of a disease that can be felt by the patient alone
Signs
- objective manifestations of disease that can be observed or measured by others
Syndrome
- a group of symptoms and signs that collectively characterizes a particular disease or abnormal condition
Epidemiology
Study of the occurrence, distribution, and spread of disease in humans
Exotoxin
Toxin secreted by a pathogenic microorganism into its environment
Endotoxin
Potentially fatal toxin released from the cell wall of dead and dying Gram - negative bacteria.
Incubation Period
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
Convalescence
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
Reservoir of Infection
Living or nonliving continuous source of infectious disease
Prodromal Period
In the infectious disease process, the short stage of generalized, mild symptoms that precedes illness
Nosocomial Disease
A disease acquired in a health care facility
Prevalence
In epidemiology, the total number of cases of a disease in a given area or population during a given period of time.
Iatrogenic Infection
A subset of nosocomial infections that are the direct result of a medical procedure or treatment, such as surgery.
Occurence
The distribution, both geographical and demographical, of diseases
Contact Transmission
The spread of pathogens from one host to another by direct contact, indirect contact, or respiratory droplets
Vehicle Transmission
Spread of pathogens via air, drinking water, and food, as well as bodily fluids being handled outside the body.
Vector Transmission
An animal (typically an arthropod) that transmits disease from one host to another.
Pathogenesis
The steps or mechanisms involved in the development of the disease
Pathogenecity
The ability to cause disease
Pathogen
A microorganism capable of causing disease
Pathology
The study of the structural and functional manifestations of the disease
Infection
Colonization by a pathogen
Infectious disease
A disease caused by a microbe (pathogen)
HPV
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
Robert Koch
Came up with Koch’s postulates which are the 4 criteria designed to establish a causal relationship between a microbe and a disease
Triangle of Relationships
A triangle showing the relationship between microbes, humans, and drugs, showing how they all effect one another
Spreading factors
