MCB Lecture 43 Infectious Disease and Causative Agents Flashcards
Which geographical regions are most affected by infectious disease?
Africa
Middle eastern and Asian countries
What are the most common causes of death and disease worldwide?
- Infectious diseases
- Heart disease
- Cancer
What are the most common types of infectious disease worldwide?
Respiratory Diarrhoeal HIV/AIDS TB Malaria
Discuss some of the features of infectious disease
Caused by a single agent Transmissible Potential for a global impact Potential for long lasting immunity Potential for prevention Potential for eradication Simple curative treatments Treatment can have multiplying effects
Who was Antoni van Leeuwenhoek?
He was a 17th century glass maker, that made the first microscope
With it, he observed and describe bacteria. However, he did not know what they were, and he didn’t know that they caused disease
Which feature did Woese use in his classification of all living things?
The relatedness of rRNA across all living things
Differentiate between the different infectious agents in humans
Prions: “infectious protein”
Viruses: have either DNA or RNA, and a protein coat
Bacteria: prokaryotic cells
Fungi: eukaryotic, plat like cells; moulds, yeasts
Parasites: eukaryotic, animal like
What are ‘new bacteria’?
These are the new strains of bacteria that are discovered on a regular basis
What are Superbugs?
These are bacteria that have evolved resistance to antibiotics
Eg. Penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Extensively-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis
What affect does AIDS have on life expectancy?
In many African countries, it dramatically reduces life expectancy
In Zimbabwe, life expectancy is almost halved
What are some factors that affect disease emergence?
- Human behaviour: sexual, IV drug use, air travel
- Public health measures
- Ecological effects
- High mutation rate
- Population growth
- Organ transplant
