Pathogens, Immunity, and Disease Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms from lecture notes on pathogens, the immune system, and related topics.

Germ Theory

Theory that microscopic particles cause certain diseases.

Pathogen

Disease-causing agent.

Vector

Anything that carries and transmits a pathogen.

Eliminate

To completely remove or get rid of something.

Infectious Disease

A disease that can be passed from person to person, caused by germs.

Noninfectious Disease

A disease that cannot be passed from person to person, caused by genetic or lifestyle factors.

Louis Pasteur

Proposed the germ theory of disease and called disease-causing agents pathogens.

Joseph Lister

Noted high patient death rates post-surgery due to infection and began cleaning surgical tools and wounds with weak acid.

Robert Koch

Demonstrated pathogens cause disease by injecting healthy animals with pathogens and developed Koch’s Postulates.

Bacteria

Single-celled organisms that cause illness by releasing toxins or destroying body cells.

Viruses

Strands of DNA or RNA with protein coats that enter and hijack healthy cells to reproduce.

Fungi

Can be multicellular or single-celled organisms that infect by piercing healthy cells and stealing nutrients.

Protozoa

Single-celled organisms that prey on other cells and require host cells to complete life cycles.

Parasites

Organisms that feed on a host, potentially killing or weakening it by draining resources.

Direct Contact

Requires physical touch between infected and healthy individuals for pathogen transmission.

Indirect Contact

Pathogens survive on surfaces and transmit when healthy individuals come into contact with these surfaces.

Airborne Transmission

Pathogens are released by coughing/sneezing and travel on dry particles.

Vector Transmission

An organism or object that carries/transmits a pathogen.

Antiseptic

Chemical that kills pathogens outside the body (e.g., soap, alcohol).

Antibiotic

Medicine that kills bacteria or fungi inside the body.

Resistance

When bacteria evolve and no longer respond to antibiotics.

Vaccine

A substance that helps the immune system build memory without causing illness.

Allergy

An overreaction of the immune system to a harmless substance.

Allergen

A normally harmless substance that causes an allergic reaction.

Anaphylaxis

A life-threatening allergic reaction that can cause the body to shut down.

Leukemia

A type of cancer that affects white blood cells.

Opportunistic Infection

An infection that takes advantage of a weak immune system.

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)

A virus that destroys the immune system.

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)

A condition where the immune system is extremely weakened due to HIV.

Inflammation

Swelling and redness caused by the body fighting infection.

Antigen

A protein on a cell/virus that the immune system uses to identify it.

Memory cell

Specialized T or B cell that 'remembers' a pathogen for future defense.

Cellular immunity

Immune response involving T cells that destroy infected cells.

Humoral immunity

Immune response where B cells produce antibodies.

Tissue rejection

When the immune system attacks transplanted tissue.