Topic 11: Infectious Diseases Flashcards
(27 cards)
Why is HIV difficult to control?
There is a long symptomless stage where the disease can be transmitted without knowing
Why is there not a vaccine for HIV?
Surface glycoproteins change regularly due to mutations
What causes HIV?
Human Immunodeficency Virus - retrovirus (contains RNA)
What does the HIV virus infect?
T helper lymphocytes and macrophages resulting in viral proteins being made
How is HIV transmitted?
Bodily fluid exchange
- unprotected sex
- blood donation or transfusions
- mother to fetus via placenta
- mother to child via breast milk
- contaminated needles
What are the 3 stages of HIV?
- Acute phase - flu like symptoms
- Chronic phase - symptomless
- AIDs - die of opportunistic infections due to weak immune system
Give 3 prevention or control techniques for HIV
- screen blood donations
- education programmes
- use of protection (barrier methods)
- contact tracing and HIV testing
- needle exchange programmesto provide sterile needles
- zidovudine drug
- antiretroviral therapy
What causes cholera?
Vibrio cholerae - bacterium
What does the cholera bacteria infect?
Walls of small intestines, releasing toxins
How is cholera transmitted?
Water and food borne due to faecal contamination
What are signs of cholera?
- severe watery diarrhoea
- severe dehydration
- loss of water and salts
Give 3 prevention techniques for cholera
- provide sewage treatment
- build sanitation systems in homes
- provide clean, chlorinated piped drinking water
- vaccination programmes
Give 3 control techniques for cholera
- oral rehydration therapy
- antibiotics (tetracycline)
- contact tracing
- cholera vaccine
Give 3 places where cholera outbreaks may occur
- in poverty
- slums
- civil wars
- places with poor mediacl care
- after natural disasters
What causes tuberculosis?
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Mycobacterium bovis
What do the mycobacterium infect with tuberculosis?
The lungs
How is tuberculosis transmitted?
- airborne, aerosol droplets from infected people, spread in overcrowding places
- contaminated meat
- unpasteurised milk
What are symptoms of tuberculosis?
- chest pain
- fever
- a persistent cough
- coughing blood
Give 3 incidences where tuberculosis is spread
- drug resistant strains
- HIV/AIDS pandemic
- overcrowded conditions
- breakdown of programmes among the homeless, drug users and LEDCs
- antibiotics not being completed
Give 3 prevention techniques for TB
- contact tracing and testing
- quarantine
- DOTS programme (mix of 3 to 4 drugs)
- use of bedaquiline to treat extremely resistant TB
True or false? There isn’t a TB vaccine for adults
True, only the BCG vaccine for kids
How is malaria spread?
- female Anopheles mosquitoes
- blood transfusion or unsterile needles
- mother to fetus across placenta
What causes malaria?
Plasmodium falciparum - protoctist
What does malaria infect?
Liver, red blood cells and brain
