4.12 Communicable Diseases Flashcards
(71 cards)
What is a communicable disease?
A disease caused by a pathogen
How do pathogens cause harm?
- Damage the tissues - enter cells and destroy them
- Produce toxins - act as inhibitors to enzymes or other processes which use proteins e.g. protein receptors in synapses
Give 3 examples of bacteria
Tuberculosis, Salmonella, Ring rot
Give 3 examples of viruses
HIV/AIDS, Influenza, Tobacco Mosaic Virus
Give 3 examples of fungi
Ring worm, Athlete’s foot, Black Sigatoka
Give an example of a protoctista
Malaria, Potato blight
Define direct transmission in animals
Pathogen is transferred directly from one individual to another
Give 3 examples of direct transmission in animals
- Direct contact - kissing & bodily fluids, skin contact, microorganisms
- Inoculation - through break in skin, animal bite, puncture wound
- Ingestion - contaminated food, licking fingers
Define indirect transmission
Pathogen travels from one individual to another indirectly
Give 3 examples of indirect transmission in animals
- Fomites - inanimate objects e.g. bedding, socks, cosmetics
- Droplet infection - Minute drops of saliva and mucus from speaking/coughing/sneezing
- Vectors - transmits communicable pathogens from one host to another e.g. water mosquitoes, fleas.
Outline factors affecting transmission in animals
- Overcrowded living
- Poor nutrition
- Compromised immune system
- Poor disposal of waste
- Climate change - can introduce new vectors/diseases’
- Culture and infrastructure - certain medical practices can increase transmission
- Socioeconomic factors - lack of trained health workers / public warning when outbreak occurs
Define direct transmission in plants
Infected plant coming into direct contact with another
Give 2 examples of direct transmission in plants
- Soil contamination - infected plants leave pathogens in soil
- Vectors
Give 4 examples of vectors (plants)
- Wind - bacteria, viruses, fungal spores can be carried by wind e.g. Black Sigatoka is blown between Caribbean islands
- Water - spores swim in the surface film of water on leaves; raindrop splashes carry pathogens
- Animals - insects/birds carry pathogens/spores directly from one plant to another; insects such as aphids directly inoculate pathogens into plant tissue.
- Humans - hands, clothing farming practices + transport of crops around the world spread pathogens
Outline factors affecting transmission in plants
- Planting crop varieties susceptible to disease
- Over-crowding increases likelihood of contact
- Poor mineral nutrition reduces resistance of plants
- Damp, warm conditions increases survival and spread of pathogens & spores
- Climate change - increased rainfall and wind promote spread of disease; vectors spread to new areas; drier conditions may reduce spread
What is the non-specific immune system?
- Gives the same response each time the same pathogen attacks
- Does not distinguish between different pathogens
- Present from birth
Detail examples of the non-specific immune system
- Epidermis of skin - dead layers of cells & clotting
- Mucous membranes - protective layer
- Chemicals such as: lysozyme in tears/urine; HCl in stomach
What is the specific immune system?
Involves antibodies and T- and B-Cells
Detail examples of the non-specific immune system
- Epidermis of skin - dead layers of cells & clotting
- Mucous membranes - protective layer
- Chemicals such as: lysozyme in tears/urine; HCl in stomach
What are antigens?
- Proteins/molecules on cell surface
- Generate an immune response
- System can tell difference between self/non-self due to antigens
- Not always a good thing; cancers/transplants
What are phagocytes?
- WBCs
- Continually produced from stem cells on bone marrow
- Stored in bone marrow
- Released into blood to engulf pathogens
Name the two types of phagocytes
Neutrophils and Macrophages
What are neutrophils?
- 60% of WBCs
- Smaller than macrophages and short lived
- Chemotaxic - (Move to chemicals)
- Numbers increase rapidly during infection and move into tissues through leaky capillary walls.
What are macrophages?
- 4%of WBCs
- Phagocytic but play a role in activating the specific immune system