Public lecture 'public health' Flashcards
What public health measures can be taken to reduce disease?
- promote safer sex
- needle exchange schemes
- antibiotic stewardship
- sanitation
- vaccination
What are the 3 stages of epidemiological transition?
- Age of pestilence and famine (mortality was high, life expectancy was low - 20-40yrs)
- Age of receding pandemics (mortality reduced and life expectancy increased to 30-50yrs, population goes exponentially)
- Age of degenerative and man made diseases (mortality reduces more and becomes stable at a low level)
Define pathogenesis:
The ability of a microorganism to multiply and grow within an infected host, at the expense of the host and without conferring benefits upon that host.
Define commensalism:
Organisms that grow in association with the host and don’t confer any damage to the host
Define symbiosis:
When organisms mutually co-exist and each derives benefit from each other e.g. normal microbiota of the skin
What are opportunistic pathogens?
These are normally commensal but will cause disease if the hosts resistance is low
What are obligate pathogens?
These pathogens must infect a host in order to survive
How do pathogens accumulate in the host?
- by adhering either specifically or non specifically to host tissues
- by growing rapidly
Give 2 examples of specific adhesions and one example of non specific:
Specific: - hemagglutinins - neuraminidase Non specific: - extracellular polymers
As a method of eliminating the pathogen from the body, what does starvation mean?
To withhold nutrients from the pathogen such as iron in the from of lactoferrin and transferrin
What is the difference between horizontal and vertical transmission?
Horizontal: through infected air, water or food
Vertical: passed through generations
