4.2 Classifying and Transmitting Diseases

Vocabulary flashcards covering the classification of infectious and non-infectious diseases, their modes of transmission, and specific pathogens.

Human disease

Any change that impairs the function of an individual in some way and causes harm to the individual.

Non-infectious diseases

Diseases that cannot be spread from one person to another and are not contagious, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Infectious diseases

Diseases that are contagious and are caused by a pathogen.

Pathogen

An agent that causes infectious disease; examples include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoans.

Cellular pathogens

Pathogens that are made up of cells, such as tapeworms, head lice, liver flukes, fungi, protozoans, and bacteria.

Non-cellular pathogens

Pathogens that are not made up of cells, such as viruses and prions.

Direct contact

A mode of transmission involving touching or transfer via airborne droplets produced when a person coughs, sneezes, or talks.

Vectors

Organisms, such as mosquitoes, houseflies, rats, and mice, that carry the disease-causing pathogen between organisms without being affected by the disease themselves.

Salmonella

A type of pathogenic bacteria that causes food poisoning, often resulting in diarrhoea and vomiting within 2–24 hours after ingestion.

Escherichia coli (E. coli)

A type of bacteria found in faeces used by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) as an indicator of level of potentially pathogenic bacteria in water.

Quarantine

The separation of sick people from healthy people to avoid infection, derived from the Latin word quadrāgintā meaning ‘forty’.