Lecture 5: Pandemics and emerging diseases Flashcards
What is straphylococcus aureus
Flesh eating disease
What are mobile genetic elements
Mobile genetic elements are DNA (plasmids) that can be transferred from one bacterium to another
What is horizontal gene transfer
DNA (plasmids) that are transferred from one bacterium to another
What is mecA
Methicillin resistant flesh eating disease carries this gene mecA. MecA codes for a protein that is unable to bind various antibiotics
Which antibiotics can’t mecA bind with
B-lactam containing molecules, penicillin, methicillin
What does the inability of B-lactam to bind to mecA result in
The bacteria being able to continue synthesizing cell wall in the presence of these antibiotics
What does HA and CA mean
Hospital and community
What are nosocomial infections
Hospital acquired infections in immune compromised patients and patients recovering from invasive surgery
Why is the methicillin resistant strain infection increasing
- does not have a growth advantage over normal strain
- cannot our complete normal strain
- is equal transmissible to normal
Why does the methicillin strain dominant infections
-use of antibiotics selects for it
How does the selection for MRSA work
There are both MSSA and MRSA on an infection. Antibiotics kill all the MSSA keeping the MRSA
What is an emerging disease
A disease that has appeared in a population for the first time or that may have existed previously but is rapidly increasing in incidence or geographic range
Why is malaria considered an emerging disease
Climate change is bad temperature to warm causing an increase in malaria where it once wasn’t. Increasing and reducing rainfall as well
