14 Flashcards
(193 cards)
pathogen
Any parasite
that causes disease is called a pathogen
axenic
sites that are free of any microbes
Your normal microbiota began to develop when
your surrounding
amniotic membrane ruptured and microorganisms
came in contact with you during birth.
reservoirs
Sites where pathogens
are maintained as a source of infection are called reservoirs of
infection.
zoonoses
Diseases that spread
naturally from their usual animal hosts to humans
zoonoses most likely type to be transmitted
back to animal hosts.
Zoonotic diseases transmitted via the bites of bloodsucking
arthropods
contamination
the mere presence of microbes
in or on the body.
infection
some microbial contminannts overcome
the body’s external defenses, multiply, and become established
in the body; such a successful invasion of the body by a
pathogen is called an infection.
portals of entry
skin, mucous membrane, placenta | parenteral route
most frequently used portal of
entry.
respiratory tract
adhesion
After entering the body, symbionts must adhere to cells if they
are to be successful in establishing colonies. The process by which
microorganisms attach themselves to cells
adhesion factors
To accomplish adhesion, pathogens
use adhesion factors, which are either specialized structures or attachment proteins
ligands
viruses and many bacteria
have surface lipoprotein and glycoprotein molecules called ligands
that enable them to bind to complementary receptors on host cells
(Figure 14.5). Ligands are also called adhesins on bacteria and attachment
proteins on viruses.
ligand receptor molecules
Receptor molecules
on host cells are typically glycoproteins containing sugar molecules
such as mannose and galactose.
avirulent
Bacterial cells and viruses that
have lost the ability to make ligands—whether as the result of
some genetic change (mutation) or exposure to certain physical
or chemical agents (as occurs in the production of some
vaccines)—become harmless, or avirulent
biofilm
Some bacterial pathogens do not attach to host cells directly
but instead interact with each other to form a sticky web of bacteria
and polysaccharides called a biofilm, which adheres to a
surface within a host.
symptoms
subjective characteristics of a disease that can be felt by
the patient alone
signs
objective manifestations
of disease that can be observed or measured by others
syndrome
a group of symptoms and signs that collectively
characterizes a particular disease or abnormal condition
subclinical
asymptomatic infections
congenital
diseases that are present at birth
etiology
study of the cause of a disease
Using his postulates, Koch proved that
Bacillus
anthracis causes anthrax and
TB
germ theory of disease
Louis Pasteur,
Robert Koch, and other microbiologists proposed the germ
theory of disease, which states that disease is caused by infections
of pathogenic microorganisms