Week 4 - Communicable Diseases and Biomedical Basis of Infectious Disease

Question 1

When did warning signs of antibiotic resistance begin to appear

Answer 1

1950s

Question 2

What 2 things must a contributory cause demonstrate

Answer 2

That the presumed cause precedes the effect and that altering the cause alters the effect

Question 3

What are Koch’s Postulates

Answer 3

1. The organism must be shown to be present in every case of the disease by isolation of the organism
2. The organism must not be found in cases of other disease
3. Once isolated, the organism must be capable of replicating the disease in an experimental animal
4. The organism must be recoverable from the animal

Question 4

How do we establish that an organism is a contributory cause of communicable disease

Answer 4

Koch’s postulates

Question 5

What are modern Koch’s Postulates

Answer 5

1. Evidence of an epidemiological association between the presence of the organism and the presence of the disease in human beings
2. Isolation of the organism from most of those with the disease
3. Transmissions to definitively establish that an organism is a contributory cause of the disease

Question 6

What is R Naught

Answer 6

The measure of the potential for transmission of a communicable disease

Question 7

What 2 variables impact R Naught

Answer 7

Transmission probability and period of communicability

Question 8

What is transmission probability

Answer 8

The probability that infection will be transmitted during contact

Question 9

What are the 3 modes of transmission

Answer 9

Humans to humans, animals to humans, and environment to humans

Question 10

What is period of communicability

Answer 10

The period during which the infection can be transmitted including frequency and duration

Question 11

What 5 public health tools are available to address the burden of communicable diseases

Answer 11

1. Barrier protections (includes isolation and quarantine)
2. Immunizations designed to protect individuals and populations
3. Screening and case finding
4. Treatment and contact treatment
5. Efforts to maximize the effectiveness of treatments by preventing resistance

Question 12

What is case finding

Answer 12

Confidential interviewing of those diagnosed with a disease and asking for their recent close physical or sexual contacts

Question 13

What was the first human disease to be eradicated

Answer 13

Smallpox

Question 14

Who developed smallpox vaccine

Answer 14

Edward Jenner

Question 15

What 8 things make eradication of a disease possible

Answer 15

1. No animal reservoir
2. Short persistence in environment
3. Absence of long-term carrier state
4. Disease produces long-term immunity
5. Vaccination also establishes long-term immunity
6. Herd immunity protects those who are susceptible
7. Easily identified disease
8. Effective post exposure vaccination