4.1.1 Communicable diseases, disease prevention & the immune system Flashcards
(129 cards)
what is a pathogen?
A pathogen is a microorganism that causes infectious disease in a host organism
what is an infectious disease?
a disease which can be passed from one organism to another, of the same or different species
What are the 4 things pathogens can be?
bacteria, viruses, Protoctista or fungi
what is a vector?
a living or non-living thing that transmits a pathogen from one organism to another i.e. insect or water
what is type of cell is bacteria and what is cell size?
prokaryotic microorganisms
1‐2μm in length
give an example of a bacterial infection
Tuberculosis
lung damage and immune system suppression
can be fatal if not treated successfully with antibiotics
label this bacterium cell


what is the size of a virus?
0.02‐0.3μm
What is a virus?
genetic material surrounded by a protein coating and sometimes a membrane
Non-living (no metabolic processes)
why is a virus not considered to be living?
they lack their own metabolic processes - i.e respiration
give an example of a virus infection
Influenza / flu
flu viruses infect, kill the ciliated epithelial cells in the trachea and bronchi
airways become vulnerable to secondary infection by bacteria
Can be fatal, especially in the very young, old and chronically ill.
what is a protoctista?
small eukaryotic organisms, often unicellular
give an exmaple of a protoctista infection
Malaria
transmitted by a female mosquito (vector)
causes recurring fevers and organ damage
can be fatal
what is a fungus?
unicellular or multicellular eukaryotic organisms, that are heterotrophic and have chitin cell walls; they reproduce using spores
give an exmaple of a fungal infection
athlete’s foot
the fungus digests the moist skin between the toes
causing itching and cracking of the skin
can be cured with antifungal cream.
how does a virus cause harm to the body?
Viruses takeover their host cells by inserting their genetic material into the host’s DNA; the host cells are then forced to produce more viruses, which eventually cause the cells to burst open (killing those cells), releasing the virus particles
how do protoctista cause harm to the body?
Protoctista may enter host cells and digest parts of them as a source of nutrition
how do fungi cause harm to the body?
they digest body cells by secreting enzymes onto them
how do bacterium cause harm to the body?
secrete toxins which cause physical damage (e.g. cell membrane destruction) or metabolic disruption (e.g. enzyme inhibition) in host cells.
what are the two forms of pathogen transmission?
Direct and indirect transmission
what are the three sub-catagories of direct pathogen transmission?
Direct contact
Inoculation
Ingestion
what are the three sub-catagories of indirect pathogen transmission?
Fomites
Droplet infection
Vectors
what is direct transmission?
the transfer of the pathogen straight from one host organism to another, without the involvement of a specific vector
what is indirect transmission?
this means the transfer of the pathogen from one host to another via some other object/organism


