Natural Disasters and Disease Flashcards
What 2 kinds of damage do natural disasters cause?
- Immediate direct damage
- subsequent indirect damage (usually after the initial incident)
Following a natural disaster, what causes the greatest risk of disease?
Contamination of water
What diseases are related to water contamination? give examples.
Fungal - E.g. Mold
Protozoan - E.g. Malaria,
Bacterial - E.g. Cholera,
Viruses - E.g. Hepatitis A,
What are the two broad categories of disease? give examples of each
Autoimmune/mutation- based - eg. arthritis, most cancers
Infectious - eg. flu, cold, strep throat
Define disease.
Conditions that impair normal tissue function in response to:
environmental factors (as malnutrition, industrial hazards, or climate)
specific infective agents (as worms, bacteria, or viruses)
inherent defects of the organism (as genetic nomalies), or a combinations of these factors
What is pathogenic?
Disease causing
Define Infection.
results when a pathogen (causes disease) invades and begins growing within a host. It may or may not cause symptoms.
What is Fungi?
Single-celled or multicellular organisms
Absorb nutrients from substratum
Like a moist environment
What are the three main groups of fungi?
Yeasts - single-celled
Mushrooms and puffballs - multicellular
Molds – multicellular filaments
Are Fungi pathogenic?
The majority are not
Give examples of Fungi that can be pathogenic?
Yeast can cause fungal skin infections
Mold can be toxic
Are mushrooms pathogenic?
No but some are poisonous
Name a mold that is toxic and grows in homes with moisture issues.
black mold (Stachybotrys)
Are all molds bad?
no, some are the source of many antibiotics eg. penicillin
What is a Protozoa?
Eukaryotic single-celled organisms
Some prey on other single-celled organisms
Can Protozoa be pathogenic?
yes, examples include:
Giardia – enteritis (intestinal inflammation)
Cryptosporidium – diarrhea
Plasmodium vivax – malaria
(Requires mosquito as a vector
Mosquitoes breed in standing water)
What is Bacteria?
Prokaryotic single-celled organisms
cells do not contain a nucleus
_________________ are the most varied and most numerous group of organisms on Earth
Bacteria
What kind of activities are vital for life on Earth?
Bacterial activities:
Created O2 in the beginning
Decomposes
Fix atmospheric N2 and CO2 into organic molecules
We share our bodies with ______________.
Bacteria - their cells outnumber our own tenfold
Can bacteria be beneficial to our body?
yes, some protect us from pathogens (on skin) and help us extract nutrients (in colon)
What are probiotics?
live cultures of beneficial bacteria. Often found in yogurt.
Can bacteria be pathogenic?
yes a few species can
What percentage of bacteria is responsible for human diseases?
50%
What is Pseudomonas?
An important soil decomposer.
Name a bacterial infection that causes strep throat, childbed fever, rheumatic fever, necrotizing fascitis (flesh eating disease)
Streptococcus
What is Vibrio cholerae (Cholera)?
disease causing excessive watery diarrhea and vomiting which can be fatal.
How is Cholera transmitted?
fecal -oral route
fecal matter is injested
How can pathogenic bacteria be spread?
Direct contact (eg. Gonorrhea) Touching contaminated objects (eg. Tetanus)
Animals and insects (eg. Bubonic plague)
Water and/or food (eg. Cholera,)
Water-borne pathogens multiply within the body of the host, then exit, often by …..
inducing vomiting and/or diarrhea
How can bacterial infections be treated?
Antibiotics
What were antibiotics they hailed as?
“Miracle Drugs”
What is a virus?
Consists of:
A genome (DNA or RNA = retro virus)
A protein coat
Sometimes a lipid envelope
Do antibiotics work on viruses?
no
How do viruses replicate?
They “hi-jack” a host cell
What organisms can host a virus?
animals,
plants
fungi
bacteria
