Micro: Pathogenesis, Part 1 Flashcards
A microorganism is a pathogen if it is capable of what?
causing disease
What are opportunistic pathogens?
those that rarely if ever cause disease in immunocompetent people, but can cause serious infection in immunocompromised people
Virulence is a ___ measure of ____.
quantitative measure of pathogenicity
How is virulence measured? (like, what is the base unit)
by the number of organisms required to cause disease
What is LD50?
the number of organisms needed to kill half the hosts
What is ID50?
the LD50 is the number of organisms needed to cause infection in half the hosts
Organisms with lower LD50 are said to be more or less virulent than those with higher LD50?
more virulent, because fewer are needed to kill half the hosts
THe infectious dose of bacteria depends primarily on their ___ ___.
virulence factors
Why is there is a parasitic relationship of bacteria to host cells?
because the presence of bacteria is detrimental to the host cells
What is an obligate intracellular parasite?
bacterial pathogens that can only grow within cells; for example Chlamydia and Rickettsia
What is a facultative parasite?
bacteria that can grow within cells, outside cells, or on bacteriologic media
People get infectious disease when microorganisms do what to host defenses?
overpower host defenses
What are the two critical determinant in overpowering the host?
- number of organisms to which the host or person is exposed
- the virulence of these organisms
What are some important causes of reduction in our host defenses?
genetic immunodeficiences, such as agammagolbulinemia; acquired immunodeficiencies, such as AIDS; drug-induced immunosuppression, such as in patients with organ transplants; and cancer patients receiving chemotherapy
What is an asymptomatic infection?
when a person has acquired an organism, but no infectious disease occurs because host defenses were successful; these are recognized by detection of antibody against the organism in the patient’s serum
Bacteria cause disease by two major mechanisms. What are they?
- toxin production
2. invasion and inflammation
Toxins fall into two categories. What are they? Describe them.
- exotoxins = polypeptides released from the cell
2. endotoxins = lipopolysaccharides, which form integral part of cell wall
Endotoxins occur only in Gram-____ rods and cocci, and cause ____, ___, and other generalized symptoms.
Gram-negative; fever, shock
Can endotoxins and exotoxins cause symptoms by themselves, or must the bacteria also be present in the host?
endotoxins and exotoxins CAN cause symptoms by themselves; the presence of the bacteria in the host is NOT required
What is a communicable infection?
one whose bacteria are spread from host to host
What term is applied to highly communicable infections?
contagious
What makes an infection an epidemic, and what makes it a pandemic?
epidemic is it occurs more frequently than usual; pandemic if it has a worldwide distribution
What type of infection is constantly present at a low level in a specific population?
endemic
Some infection result in a latent state, which ends when what happens?
after the latent state, there can be reactivation of the growth of an organism and recurrence of symptoms
Typhoid Mary is an important source of infection and public health hazard. Why does everyone hate Typhoid Mary?
Because she is a chronic carrier. Bitch.
What is a chronic carrier state?
a state in which the organisms continue to grow with or without producing symptoms in the host
What is the significance of colonization in determining the pathogenic source of an infection?
colonization refers to the presence of a new organism that is neither a member of the normal flora, nor the cause of the infectious symptoms
What are the 7 generalized stages of infection?
- transmission
- evasion of host defenses
- adherence - usually by pili
- colonization
- symptoms - caused by toxin/inflammation
- host response
- progression/resolution
Interrupting the chain of transmission is an excellent way to ___ the spread of infectious disease.
prevent
What is a fomite?
an inanimate object that serves as a source of microorganisms that can cause infectious disease; ex: towel
What are the modes of human-to-human transmission of bacteria?
- direct contact (sexual, birth canal)
- no direct contact (ex: feces into soil/water, then into food)
- transplacental (just what it says: mother to baby)
- bloodborne (transfusion, IV drugs)
What are non-human sources of human infectious agents?
- soil source
- water source
- animal source (directly, insect vector, animal excreta)
- fomite source
Pathogens exit the infected patient most frequently from what two tracts?
respiratory and GI