😷 Medical Science🦠 Flashcards
Infectious
Refers to a disease that can be spread to other people through the environment.
Non-infectious
Refers to a disease that cannot be spread to other people through the environment.
Disease
A disorder of structure or function in an organism.
Pathogen
Anything that causes an infectious disease; it is usually microscopic but can be macroscopic (visible with the naked eye).
Virus
A nucleic acid in a protein coat that is able to multiply only within the living cells of a host.
Bacteria
Unicellular organism with a cell wall but no nucleus.
Fungus
Unicellular or multicellular organism with a cell wall and nucleus but no chloroplasts.
Macroparasite
A parasite that is visible with the naked eye.
Host
An animal or plant that nourishes a parasite.
Symptom
Outward evidence of disease, usually felt by the person, e.g. tiredness, pain, fever.
Transmission
The transfer of a pathogen from one host to another.
Vector
A carrier organism that transfers a pathogen from one host to another host of the same species.
Fomite
A non-living object that can transfer a pathogen from one host to another of the same species.
Antibiotic
A medicine that slows the growth or destroys bacteria.
Inflammatory response
The body’s response to tissue injury in order to remove the cause, clear away dead cells and initiate tissue repair; characterised by pain, redness, swelling, warmth and loss of function.