pathogens DEFINITELY IN EXAM Flashcards
define communicable diseases
spread from person to person (they are infectious) and are spread by pathogens
define pathogens
pathogens are microorganisms that cause infectious diseases
what are the 4 types of pathogen
- bacteria
- viruses
- protists
- fungi
what do bacteria do
reproduce in the body very quickly and release harmful chemicals can toxins (which damage tissues and make us feel ill)
how are viruses different to bacteria
viruses cannot reproduce by themselves. They can only reproduce inside a host cell (first the virus invades the host cell then the virus reproduces inside the host cell, when viruses leave the cell they can cause them to burst)
what are the 3 ways pathogens can spread
- in the air (in water droplets like influenza)
- in water (e.g: cholera is spread by drinking water that is contaminated through sewage)
- direct contact between individuals (e.g: HIV when drug users use infected needles or sexual contact)
5 ways to reduce the spread of pathogens
- washing hands before eating
- providing people with clean water (in the UK drinking water contains chlorine which kills microbes)
- using condoms during sexual intercourse reduces the spread of HIV
- quarantining/isolating people with highly infectious diseases (e.g; ebola)
- vaccination
measles
- symptoms
- how does it spread
- what complications can develop
- ways to prevent
- what type of pathogen is it caused by
measles
- symptoms- fever, red skin rash
- how does it spread- droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes
- what complications can develop- cause damage to the breathing system and the brain
- ways to prevent- vaccination
- what type of pathogen is it caused by- virus
HIV
- symptoms
- how does it spread
- what complications can develop
- ways to prevent
- what type of pathogen is it caused by
- symptoms- flu-like illness (virus attacks the patient’s immune system so it becomes weakened, so cannot fight off other infections other can so cannot fight cancer cells)
- how does it spread- mixing of bodily fluids (unprotected sexual intercourse, infected needles)
- what complications can develop
- ways to prevent- antiretroviral drugs
- what type of pathogen is it caused by - virus
what can bacteria be killed by
antibiotics
Salmonella
- symptoms
- how does it spread
- ways to prevent
- what type of pathogen is it caused by
- symptoms - fever, abdominal cramps, vomiting, diarrhoea
- how does it spread - ingesting infected food
- ways to prevent - vaccinate poultry
- what type of pathogen is it caused by - bacteria
Gonorrhea
- what type of disease is Gonorrhoea
- symptoms
- how does it spread
- ways to prevent
- what type of pathogen is it caused by
- what type of disease is Gonorrhoea - Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD)
- symptoms - yellow/green discharge from the penis/vagina, pain when urinating
- how does it spread - sexual intercourse
- ways to prevent - using a condom during sexual intercourse , antibiotics
- what type of pathogen is it caused by - bacteria
Malaria
- symptoms
- how does it spread
- ways to prevent
- what type of pathogen is it spread by
1 symptoms- fever
- how does it spread- by mosquitoes (vector) as it carries the pathogen from one person to another
- ways to prevent - drain areas of still water to stop mosquitoes from breeding, spray areas of still water with insecticide which kills mosquitoes, mosquito net (stops mosquito from biting humans
- what type of pathogen is it spread by - protist
how does malaria spread
person infected with malaria is bitten by the mosquito
the malaria pathogen passes into the mosquito
the mosquito now bites a different person and passes the malaria pathogen to them (the mosquito only acts as a vector for the pathogen)
