Unit 3 - Key Terms

Principles of Biomedical Sciences - Freshman 25-26

Endemic

A disease regularly occuring within an area/community.

Outbreak

A rapid increase of a disease beyond what is commonly expected.

Pandemic

A worldwide version of an epidemic.

Epidemiologist

Public health scientist who investigates the patterns, causes, and effects of diseases and injuries in specific populations

Noscomial

A disease originating from a hospital.

Method of Delivery

the specific pathway and mechanism by which a pathogen moves from an infected host or reservoir to a susceptible host, enters their body, and initiates infection

Infection

The process of infecting or the state of being infected.

Host

A living organism that harbors another organism

Pathogen

A biological agent that causes disease or illness in their host; typically microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites.

Prions

Infectious, self-spreading misfolded proteins lacking nucleic acids that cause irreversible neuron damaging diseases by influencing normal brain proteins to adopt to the abnormal shape.

Virus

Submicroscopic, infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of a host organism.

Bacteria

Prokaryotic organisms

Protist

A eukaryotic organism that isn’t an animal, plant, or fungus.

Fungi

Eukaryotic heterotrophs that are distinct from animals, plants, and bacteria; including yeasts, molds, and mushrooms.

Helminths

Large, multicellular parasitic worms that live in and feed on a living host; such as tapeworms.

Innate Immunity

The body’s first line of defense, providing immediate, non-specific protection against pathogens from birth.

Acquired Immunity

a specialized, pathogen-specific defense system developed after exposure to foreign antigens

Antigen

Any substance that the immune system recognizes as foreign or harmful.

T-cell

A type of white-blood cell essential to the adaptive immune system responsible for cell-mediated immunity.

B-cell

a type of white blood cell essential to the adaptive immune system, responsible for humoral immunity.

Antibodies

Y-shaped proteins produced by B-cells that circulate in the blood to identify and neutralize foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses.

Vaccine

The biological process of introducing weakened, dead, or component parts of a pathogen (antigen) into the body to stimulate the immune system.

Etiology

the scientific study of the causes, origins, or reasons behind a disease, disorder, or abnormal condition

Metabolize

The sum of all chemical reaction that occur within a living organism to maintain life.

Aseptic technique

A healthcare practice designed to reduce the number of pathogenic microorganisms and prevent their spread during patient-care.

Coccus

A bacterium that has a spherical or generally round shape.

Spirillum

A rigid, spiral-shaped, gram-negative bacterium that moves using tufts of flagella at its poles.

Bacillus

A rod-shaped bacterium.

Gram Stain

A differential staining technique that classifies bacteria into two broad groups - Gram-positive and Gram-negative - based on the structural differences in their walls.

Morbidity

The state of being diseased, symptomatic, or unhealthy within an individual or a population.

Mortality

The rate at which individuals die within a population.