U3 Immunity: Types of pathogens Flashcards
Define pathogen
An orgaism capable of causing disease
Define communicable/infectious disease
A disease that can be passed from one person to another by infection with microorganisms
What are the types of pathogens?
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Fungi
- Animal parasites
Give three examples of bacteria
- Anthrax
- Tentanus
- Whooping cough
Give three examples of viruses
- Influenza
- COVID-19
- Colds
Give three examples of fungi
- Ringworm
- Thrush
- Tinea
Give thee examples of animal parasites
- Tapeworms
- Lice
- Toxoplasmosis
What are the structural characeristics of bacteria?
- Unicellular
- Have no membrane-bound organelles as they are prokaryotic
- Microscopic (can only be seen with light microscope)
- No nucleus (DNA is in form of plasmids of floast freely in cytoplasm)
Are bacteria living on non-living?
Living
Are most bacteria pathogenic?
No, most bacteria are non-pathogenic and are harmless to humans
What are the four shapes of bacteria?
- Cocci (spherical shape)
- Bacilli (rod shape)
- Spirilla (spiral shape)
- Vibrio (comma shape)
What form does genetic material take in viruses?
Genetic material in viruses is in the form of a molecule of either DNA or RNA, which is surrounded by a coat of protein
Are viruses living or non-living?
Non-living, they can’t produce by themselves (acellular)
How do viruses manufacture more virus particles?
- Virus infects a living cell
- Virus inserts its DNA or RNA into the cell
- The cell starts to manufacture more virus particles
- The virus particles leave the cost cell to infect others
What happens to cells that have been infected by viruses?
The cell becomes damage or dies
