Topic 5 - health, disease and the development of medicines Flashcards
Define health
A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being
Define disease
A disorder of the body or mind that negatively affects an individual’s health
What are two types of disease?
Communicable
Non-communicable
What is a communicable disease?
A disease that is passes directly between individuals
Caused by a pathogen
Define pathogen
A disease-causing organism
What is a non-communicable disease?
A disease that cannot be transmitted between individuals
What is a symptom?
A change experienced by an organism that indicated disease
Why does having an illness make an individual more likely to contract another disease?
A disease may weaken an individual’s immune system making them increasingly susceptible to other infections
Describe cholera
Spread by drinking water or washing in water that has been contaminated
Symptoms: vomiting, diarrhoea
Caused by vibrio cholera bacterium
How can the incidence of cholera be reduced?
Access to clean water
Improved sanitation
Describe tuberculosis
Caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium
Is airborne bacteria spread by droplet infection
Symptoms: lung damage, chesty cough, wheezing
How can the transmission of TB be reduced?
Improved hygiene
Infected individuals avoid crowded areas
Increased ventilation in individual’s home
Describe chalaza ash dieback
Caused by a fungus that infects ash trees
Spread via airborne stored which are carried by the wind
Causes dark lesions on bark and blackened leaves which wilt and eventually die
How can the transmission of chalaza ash dieback disease be reduced?
Control the movement of ash trees
Kill infected plants
Replant with different species
Describe malaria
Caused by plasmodium protist
Spread by mosquito vectors
Flu-like symptoms, damage to red blood cells, liver damage
How can the incidence of malaria be reduced?
Mosquito nets
Insect repellant
Cover arms and legs
Describe stomach ulcers
Caused by helicobacter pylori bacterium
Transmitted orally by eating infected foods or drinking infected water
Symptoms: stomach pain, vomiting, nausea
How can the transmission of helicobacter pylori be reduced?
Access to clean water
Improved hygiene
Improved sanitation
Describe Ebola
Caused by Ebola virus
Spread by direct contact with infected body fluids
Symptoms: fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, internal bleeding
How can the transmission of Ebola be reduced?
Improved hygiene
Isolating infected individuals
Sterilisation of outbreak areas
Describe simply how viruses cause disease
They enter host cells and replicate inside of them. The host cells rupture, releasing new viruses
How do viruses differ from other microorganisms?
They are not living
They do not reproduce and can only replicate inside a host cell
By what two pathways do viruses replicate inside living cells?
Lytic pathway
Lysogenic pathway
Describe the lytic pathway
Virus binds to receptors on host cell
Injects its DNA into host cell and replicated its DNA using host cell machinery
New viral structures are produced and assembled
Host cell ruptures, releasing new viruses
Describe the lysogenic pathway
Virus binds to receptors on host cell
Viral DNA injected into host cell and becomes integrated into host cell genome
Viral DNA replicated each time the host cell divides but the cell remains normal
Trigger causes the activation of viral DNA, it enters the lytic pathway
Describe HIV
Caused by human immunodeficiency virus
Spread by direct contact with infected bodily fluids
Destroys white blood cells making the individual immunodeficient and increasingly susceptible to other diseases, leads to aids
How can the spread of HIV be reduced?
Protected sex
Needle exchange
Screening blood
Deterring infected mothers from breastfeeding
Describe chlamydia
Caused by chlamydia bacterium
Spread through sexual contact
Can result in infertility
How can the transmission of chlamydia be reduced?
Protected sex
Screening
Describe the physical defence system within plants
Waterproof waxy cuticle
Cellulose cell wall
Give examples of chemical barriers in plants
Secretion of toxins to reduce damage by pests
Production of antibacterial chemicals that kill bacterial pathogens
Why are chemicals produced by plants useful?
They produce physiological effects on the body so can be used in medicines
Give an example of a medicine derived from plants
Aspirin - painkiller, bark/Leaves of salix alba
Why are plant defence systems important?
Important in maintaining human food security
Are producers so all organisms higher up the food chains rely on their survival
How can plant diseases be detected and identified in the field.
Observation of symptoms
Analysis of distribution
Changing environmental conditions
Why is it difficult to identify a disease using symptoms alone?
Many diseases may have similar symptoms
How can plant diseases be detected and identified in the lab?
Detection of foreign antigens in a sample of plant tissue
Analysis of DNA to identify and pathogen DNA in a tissue sample
What is a non-specific defence?
Always present
Same for all organisms
Prevents pathogens from entering the body
Give three examples of the body’s physical defence system
Skin
Blood clotting
Respiratory tract
Give two examples of the body’s chemical defence system
Tears (lysozyme)
Hydrochloric acid
What is the immune system?
The body’s defence against pathogens once they have entered the body
Aims to prevent or minimise disease caused by pathogens
How do white blood cells detect pathogens in the body?
They have unique antigens on their surface which are detected by specialised receptors on white blood cells