Infectious diseases Flashcards
(47 cards)
What is Health
A state of balanced well being
What is Disease
Any condition that impairs health
What is a Pathogen
A disease causing organism, such as bacterium, virus, fungus, protozoa, worm
What is a vector
A disease carrying organism, such as mosquito, tick
What are the methods of transmission
Direct contact, Droplet infection, Contaminated food/water, Infected insects
1st line of defense
Skin, tears, mucus/ciliated membranes, stomach acid, residual urine
2nd line of defense
Phagocytes(White blood cells), the inflammatory response
3rd line of defense
Antibodies, Memory cells
What are antibodies
Antibodies are chemical proteins produced by the immune system in response to the presence of antigens
What are memory cells
Memory cells are cells in the immune system that fights off a new antigen and replicates itself in the lymph nodes so when the same antigen comes again, it has the memory to fight it off faster
What are anti-toxins
Anti-toxins are antibodies produced to neutralize the toxins produced by certain bacteria
Obligate aerobes
They are organisms that require a constant supply of oxygen in order to live
Obligate anaerobes
They are organisms that do not require oxygen and they may be poisoned by it
Facultative anaerobes or aerobes
They are organisms that can survive with or without oxygen
Binary fission
It is an asexual form of reproduction because it does not involve the exchange of genetic information
Conjugation
It is a sexual form of reproduction because when it is complete the recipient cell has a different set off genes from those it had before
Spore formation
It is not a form of reproduction because it does not result in the formation of new bacterial cells
Nitrogen fixation
It is when bacteria takes nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form that plants can use
Lysozyme
It is an enzyme that breaks down the cell walls of many bacteria. It is found in tears, mucus, saliva and sweat
Why is the 1st line of defence non-specific
It is non-specific because it guard against all infections, and it is not directed against a particular pathogen
Phagocytes
They are white blood cells, they engulf and destroy bacteria
Koch’s postulates 1
The pathogen must be found in all organisms suffering the disease, but should not be found on healthy organisms
Koch’s postulates 2
The pathogen must be isolated from a diseased organisms & grown in pure culture in a lab
Koch’s postulates 3
The cultured pathogens should cause disease when introduced to a healthy organism
