unit 10 Flashcards
What is a transmissible disease?
A disease in which the pathogen can be passed form one host to another
What is a pathogen?
A disease-causing organism
How can a pathogen be transmitted?
by direct contact (including through blood and other body fluids)
Indirectly (including from contaminated surfaces, food, animals and air)
What are the body’s defences?
skin, hair in the nose, mucus, stomach acid and white blood cells
How are the spread of the diseases controlled?
clean water supplies, hygenic food preparation, good personal hygene, waste disposal, sewage treatment.
What is active immunity?
A defence against a pathogen by antibody production in the body
Pathogens and anitgens
Each pathogen has its own antigen (which has a specific shape)
What are antibodies?
Proteins that bind to antigents leading to direct destruction of pathogens or marking of pathogens for destruction by phagocytes
antibodies - antigens
specific antibodies have
complementary shapes which fit specific antigens
How is active immunity gained?
active immunity is gained after an
infection by a pathogen or by vaccination
What is the process of vaccination?
(a) weakened pathogens or their antigens are
put into the body
(b) the antigens stimulate an immune response
by lymphocytes which produce antibodies
(c) memory cells are produced that give
long-term immunity
How does vaccination help the spread of diseases?
High immunization rate (high amount of vaccinated people) helps stop the spread to healthy, unvaccinated people
What is passive immunity?
a short-term
defence against a pathogen by antibodies
acquired from another individual, including
across the placenta and in breast milk
Why is breast feeding important?
This is how new-borns get all antibodies form their mothers
Are memory cells produced in passive immunity?
Nope
