x. General Lectures Flashcards
L24: What is the major micoorganism associated with periodontitis?
P. gingivalis
L24: How many links are there in the chain of infection and what are they?
7:
- Infectious agent (virulence factor);
- Resevoirs;
- Portal of Exit;
- Means of Transmission;
- Portal of Entry;
- Susceptible Host.
L24: What does it mean when micro-organisms are highly virulent?
High ability to cause disease
L24: What are exotoxins?
A toxin released by a microorganism
L24: Give an example of an exotoxin.
- Protease (from P. gingivalis);
- Enterotoxin (S. aureus);
- Leukocidin (S. aureus).
L24: What are endotoxins?
A component of a bacterial cell wall (are also pyrogens)
L24: Give an example of an endotoxin.
Lipopolysaccharide (from P. gingivalis and E. coli)
L24: What is an infectious dose (ID50)?
The number of microorganisms required to cause an infection
L24: Give an example of a reservoir.
- Microbes ubiquitous in nature;
- Humans;
- Animals;
- Environment;
- Fomites (contaminated objects/ surfaces).
L24: From what reservoir do the most pathogenic microbes, to humans, come from?
Humans
L24: What is the incubation period (similar to latent period)?
The time between contamination and development of symptoms, varies widely for different infections
L24: What is the problem with longer incubation periods?
- Longer time until onset of symptoms;
- Unaware of infection;
- More contact with humans;
- Greater spread of the disease.
L24: What is the infectious period and does this overlap with the incubation period?
The time in which an infection can be transmitted between humans, this does overlap with the incubation period
L24: What is an asymptomatic carrier?
An infected person with no clinical evidence of disease, though signs and symptoms of the disease may have been evident earlier
L24: What is the difference between a colonisation and an infection?
A colonisation is the presence of a microorganism in a host, with growth and multiplication, but without overt expression (infection)
L24: Give an example of a colonisation, commonly carried in humans.
S. aureus (nose)
L24: What are endogenous reservoirs?
Disease caused bacteria/ microbes that are a normal part of a host’s flora, they can become displaces to another body site (e.g. brain or muscle) or invade deeper tissues (commensals)
L24: What are exogenous reservoirs?
Disease caused by bacteria/ microbes entering a host that are non-commensals (e.g. influenza)
L24: What is the portal of exit and what are the two main modes of exits?
- Escape of microbes from a source to a new host;
- Natural and artificial.
L24: Provide an example of a natural portal of exit.
- Coughing;
- Sneezing.
L24: Provide an example of an artificial portal of exit.
- Blood donation;
- Dental handpick aerosols.
L24: What is the R0 number?
The number of cases one case generates on average over the course of its infectious period
L24: What does R0 < 1 mean?
The infection is likely to die out in the long run
L24: What does R0 > 1 mean?
The infection is likely to spread in the population
L24: What is the general relationship between R0 number and risk?
The higher the R0 number, the higher the risk and greater difficulty infection is to control
L24: What effects the R0 number?
- Duration of infectivity;
- Infectiousness (virulence);
- Number of susceptible people.
L24: Where does the influenza virus primarily target?
Upper and lower respiratory tract (virus shed here)