Pathogens and Hosts Flashcards

1
Q

Make a list of the signs and symptoms that someone has an infection./

A

inflammation
pain
pyrexia
tachycardia
rigors
increased white cell count
Increased C reactive protein (CRP)

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2
Q

What is a pathogen?

A

an organism which can cause disease

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3
Q

What is a commensal?

A

s an organism which is part of normal flora e.g. E. coli in the gut, Staph aureus in the nose, axilla

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4
Q

What can be an issue between pathogens and commensal?

A

The distinction between these is not always clear

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5
Q

What can be used to determine whether a microorganism causes a disease?

A

Koch’s Postulates

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6
Q

What does Koch’s Postulates state a microorganism should be able to do in order to cause a disease?

A

organism must be found in all cases of the disease
able to be cultured outside the body for several generations
should reproduce the disease on inoculation

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7
Q

What is pathogenicity?

A

The capacity of a micro-organism to cause an infection

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8
Q

What are the requirements of The capacity of pathogenicity?

A

Infectivity
Virulence

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9
Q

What does infectivity mean?

A

Ability to become established.

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10
Q

What does virulence mean?

A

Ability to cause harmful effects once established

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11
Q

Define Infectivity

A

Ability to become established on or within a host

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12
Q

How does E.coli demonstrate infectivity?

A

Receptor on uroepithelial cells

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13
Q

What is virulence conferred by?

A

Virulence factors.

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14
Q

List some virulence factors.

A

Invasiveness
Toxin production
Evasion of immune system

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15
Q

What is virulence specific to?

A

Strains not species

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16
Q

How are exotoxins released?

A

Extracellularly by the micro-organism

17
Q

What are enterotoxins?

A

exotoxins which act on the GI tract

18
Q

What is endotoxin structurally part of?

A

Gram negative cell wall

19
Q

What are super antigens able to do?

A

Able to stimulate division of T cells in the absence of specific antigen

20
Q

What does overwhelming cytokine production cuase?

A

Toxic shock

21
Q

Give an example of an endotoxin

A

Lipopolysaccharide-
1. Lipid A
2.Oligosaccharide core
3.Specific polysaccharide chain

22
Q

What reponses do endotoxins produce?

A

Cytokine production
Fever, rigors, hypotension, tachycardia, collapse

23
Q

What are the three characteristics of virus pathogenic mechanisms?

A

Cell destruction following virus infection
Virus-induced changes to cellular gene expression
Immunopathogenic disease

24
Q

Describe cell destruction following virus infection

A

Death of T4+ cells by HIV

25
Q

Describe Virus-induced changes to cellular gene expression

A

Cellular transformation by tumour viruses.

26
Q

Give two examples of Immunopathogenic disease

A

Influenza A virus.
Coxsackievirus-induced myocarditis.

27
Q

Name some sites of viral entry.

A

Respiratory tract
Alimentary tract
Urinogenital tract
Conjunctiva
Arthropod
Skin
Capillary

28
Q

Describe acute infection.

A

Virus increases and decreases.

29
Q

Describe latent infection.

A

Virus increases and then decreases so is unnoticed but does not fully go away. Increases in the future.

30
Q

Describe chronic infection.

A

Virus increases, may decrease slightly but then stays the same.

31
Q

Describe tumour virus infection.

A

Slight increase in early disease but then decreases and stays constant before rapidly spiking in the future.
Separated into early and late disease.

32
Q

Name two acute viruses.

A

Influenza A virus
Enterovirus

33
Q

Discuss acute virus infection.

A

Localised to specific site of body
Development of viraemia with widespread infection of tissues.

34
Q

Give an example of a latent virus infection.

A

Herpes simplex virus

35
Q

Explain how a latent virus infection of herpes may come back.

A

Primary infection of epithelial cells.
Virus migration to the ganglia.
Virus remains latent in nucleus (No Virus Replication.)
Stimuli (e.g. sunlight) reactivates virus.
Virus migration to epithelial cells leading to virus replication.

36
Q

Name two tumour virus infections.

A

Papillomaviruses (HPV)
Retroviruses

37
Q

Don’t hate me but describe the process of retrovirus replication

A

I’M SORRY

After a retrovirus enters a host cell, reverse transcriptase converts the retroviral RNA genome into double-stranded DNA.
This viral DNA then migrates to the nucleus and becomes integrated into the host genome.
Viral genes are transcribed and translated.
New virus particles assemble, exit the cell, and can infect another cell.

38
Q

How can retroviruses cause a tumour?

A

Virus infects cell.
Virus nucleic acid, as DNA, integrates into cellular genome.
Virus causes changes in cellular gene expression.
Uncontrolled cell multiplication and tumour formation.