Exam 3b Flashcards
(196 cards)
What are infectious agents capable of doing to a host?
Damage or kill a host
What are pathogenic agents?
Agents that cause harm
What are the five major categories of infectious agents?
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Fungi
- Protozoans
- Multicellular parasites
What are bacteria?
Single-celled prokaryotes
What are the types of bacterial shapes?
- Spherical (cocci)
- Rodlike (bacilli)
- Coiled (spirilla)
What are virulent bacteria capable of?
Causing serious illness
What are examples of virulent bacteria?
- Clostridium tetani (tetanus)
- Streptococcal bacteria (strep throat)
What are viruses composed of?
Pieces of DNA or RNA in a protein shell
How do viruses reproduce?
By entering a cell and directing it to make copies of nucleic acid and capsid
What are fungi?
Eukaryotic cells with membrane and cell wall
What diseases can fungi cause?
- Superficial diseases (e.g., ringworm)
- Mucosal infections (e.g., vaginal yeast infections)
- Internal infections (e.g., histoplasmosis)
What are protozoans?
Eukaryotic cells without a cell wall
What diseases are caused by protozoans?
- Malaria
- Trichomoniasis
Protozoan infections are parasitic diseases caused by single-celled organisms that can be found in humans, animals, plants, and fungi. They can be transmitted through contact with infected surfaces or substances, or by insect vectors like sandflies or bugs. The infections cause tissue damage that leads to disease.
What are multicellular parasites?
Nonmicroscopic organisms that take nourishment from their host
What are prions?
Fragments of infectious proteins that cause disease in nervous tissue
What disease can prions cause?
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Where are leukocytes formed?
In red bone marrow
What are the types of leukocytes?
- Granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils)
- Monocytes
- Lymphocytes (B-lymphocytes, T-lymphocytes, NK cells)
What are secondary lymphatic structures?
- Lymph nodes
- Spleen
- Tonsils
- MALT
- Lymphatic nodules
What are dendritic cells derived from?
Monocytes
What are cytokines?
Small proteins that regulate immune activity
What is innate immunity?
Immunity present at birth that protects against a variety of substances
What is adaptive immunity?
Acquired immunity that involves specific T- and B-lymphocytes
What characterizes innate immunity?
- Responds nonspecifically to harmful substances
- First line of defense is skin and mucosal membranes
- Includes internal processes like inflammation and fever