U2) KA5) treatment and control of parasites Flashcards

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1
Q

what is epidemiology and what can it be used for

A
  • study of the outbreak and spread of infectious disease
  • info gained from epidemiology surveys can be used to plan and evaluate strategies to help prevent the spread of the parasite in the future
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2
Q

how does herd immunity prevent spread of disease

A
  • one way to prevent spread of disease is to use vaccinations, which increases the number of resistant hosts in the population, creating herd immunity
  • it means susceptible hosts are too dispersed for the parasite to continue to spread
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3
Q

what is the herd immunity threshold

A
  • the herd immunity threshold is the density of resistant hosts required in a population to prevent an epidemic
  • ( how many people need to be vaccinated in order to prevent an epidemic)
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4
Q

who does the herd immunity programme protect in particular

- where is this particularly useful

A
  • vaccination programmes aim to reach herd immunity threshold as this protects many individuals who cannot have vaccinations for health reasons
  • particularly important in ledcs , where poorer nutrition weakens the health of individuals so they are more susceptible to disease
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5
Q

how does a vaccination work

A

vaccinations exposes the immune system to a non infectious source of parasite antigens
- this triggers an immune response and develops immunological memory to these antigens and so protects against infection by the real parasite

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6
Q

problems with vaccinations

A
  • antigenic variation has to be reflected in the design of vaccines ( the parasite may use rapid antigen change as means of evading the immune system)
  • some parasites are difficult to culture in the lab, as they have a very narrow range of conditions, as well as specific host signals making it hard to make the vaccines
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7
Q

problems with developing drugs against parasites

A
  • the similarities between the host and parasite metabolism make it difficult to find drug compounds that only target the parasite
  • drugs that work to kill the parasite in the host could have detrimental effects on the host
  • drugs provide a selection pressure ,leading to the evolution of resistant strains of parasites
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8
Q

challenges arise where parasites spread ____ _____ as a result of….

A

more rapidly

- as a result of overcrowding or tropical climates

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9
Q

where does this overcrowding often occur

A
  • in refugee camps that result from war or natural disasters
  • rapidly growing cities in ledcs
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10
Q

overcrowded conditions make _____________________________ difficult to achieve

A

co ordinated treatment and control programmes

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11
Q

what may be the only practical parasite control strategies

A
  • civil engineering projects to improve sanitation

- co ordinated vector control

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12
Q

what are the benefits of parasite control

A
  • reduce child mortality
  • population wide improvements of child development and intelligence as individuals have more resources for growth and development
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