Science - Biology - Infection and Response - B3 Flashcards
what is a pathogen ?
pathogens are microorganisms that enter the body and cause disease. They cause communicable diseases.
what is a communicable disease ?
an infectious disease
what are the different types of pathogen ?
- bacteria
- viruses
- protists
- fungi
what is bacteria ?
very small cells which reproduce rapidly inside your body, they can make you feel ill by producing toxins which damage your cells and tissues
what is an example of bacteria ?
salmonella - food poisoning
what is a virus ?
viruses are not cells. They reproduce rapidly inside your body and live inside your cells and replicate themselves using the cells machinery which makes the cell usually burst releasing new viruses. The cell damage makes you feel ill
what is an example of a virus ?
HIV - infects and destroys cells that protect us against diseases
what is a protist ?
a pathogen transferred onto other organisms by a vector, which doesn’t get the disease itself
what is an example of a protist disease?
malaria is caused by a protist that lives inside a mosquito
what is fungi ?
a microorganism that can cause disease, and that produces spores that can be spread onto other organisms
what is an example of a fungi disease ?
rose black spot - black spot fungus infects rose plants
give 3 ways pathogens are spread
- water
- air
- direct contact
give an example of a pathogen that is caught through water
cholera - drinking dirty, contaminated water
give an example of a pathogen that is caught through air
influenza virus - spread in the air in droplets produced when a contaminated person coughs or sneezes
give an example of a pathogen that is caught through direct contact
athletes foot - fungus spread by touching the same things as an infected person
how is measles - a viral disease - spread ?
direct contact - droplets of someone’s cough or sneeze
what are the effects of measles ?
- red skin rash
- signs of fever
- high temperature
what can measles lead to if not treated ?
- pneumonia
- encephalitis - brain infection
how is measles prevented ?
vaccination
how is HIV spread ?
direct contact - sexual, exchanging bodily fluids, e.g blood
what are the symptoms of HIV ?
- first few weeks - flu like symptoms
- several years - potentially no symptoms
- aids - if body’s immune system is badly damaged and can’t cope with any diseases
how can HIV be controlled ?
- antiretroviral drugs - stops the virus replicating in the body
what is the tobacco mosaic virus ?
a virus that affects many species of plants
what are the effects of the tobacco mosaic virus?
- causes mosaic virus on the leaves
- leaves become discolored
- discoloration leads to less photosynthesis - effects growth
name 3 viral diseases ?
- measles
- HIV
- tobacco mosaic virus
what is the rose black spot ?
a fungus that causes purple or black spots to develop on the leaves of rose plants
what are the effects of the rose black spot disease ?
- leaves turn yellow and drop off
how is the rose black spot spread ?
through water or wind
how can the rose black spot be treated ?
- gardeners using fungicides by stripping the plant of its affected leaves
how is malaria caused ?
by a protist which uses a mosquito as a vector. when mosquitos feed on another animal it infects it by inserting the protist into the animals blood vessles
what are the effects of malaria ?
- repeating episodes of fever
how can malaria be prevented ?
- spraying exposed skin with insect repellent
- sleeping under a mosquito net
what are the effects of salmonella ?
- food poisoning
- fever
- stomach cramps
- vomiting
- diarrhoea
how is salmonella caught ?
- eating chicken that caught the disease whilst alive
- eating food that was contaminated by being prepared in unhygienic conditions
- eating raw chicken
how is salmonella prevented ?
- vaccinating chicken and turkey against salmonella
how is gonorrhea spread ?
direct contact - sexual transmitted disease
what are the effects of gonorrhea ?
- pain when they urinate
- thick yellow or green discharge from vagina or penis
how is gonorrhea prevented ?
- protected sex
- originally treated with penicillin but strains of bacteria have become resistant to this drug
how can you reduce and prevent the spread of disease ?
- being hygienic
- destroying vectors
- isolating infected individuals
- vaccination
what are the body’s non specific defence systems ?
- skin
- hairs and mucus
- trachea and bronchi
- stomach
how does the skin help defend the body ?
- acts as a barrier
- secretes antimicrobial substances which kills pathogens
how does hairs and mucus in your nose help defend the body ?
- trap particles that could contain pathogens
how do the trachea and bronchi help defend the body ?
- secretes mucus to help trap pathogens
- lined with cilia, which are hair-like structures which waft mucus up to the back of the throat where it can be swallowed
how does the stomach help defend the body ?
- produces hydrochloric acid which kills pathogens that make it far from the mouth