Infectious Diseases and Immunity Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes about infectious diseases and immunity.

Disease

An illness or disorder of the body or mind that leads to poor health; it has signs and symptoms.

Infectious (communicable) diseases

Diseases caused by pathogens that pass from infected human or animal to uninfected human.

Non-infectious diseases

Diseases that are not caused by pathogens; they can be long-term degenerative, genetic, or disorders.

Transmission cycle

The way a pathogen passes from one host to another.

Control methods

Ways to break the transmission cycle by removing conditions that allow spread of the pathogen, such as vaccination.

Endemic

A disease that is always present in populations, e.g., TB & malaria.

Epidemic

A sudden increase in the number of people with a disease.

Pandemic

An increase in the number of cases throughout a continent or across the world.

Incidence of a disease

The number of people diagnosed with a disease over a certain period (week, month, or year).

Prevalence of a disease

The number of people who have a disease at any one time.

Mortality

Death rate from different diseases.

Carrier

A person carrying and spreading the pathogen who is symptomless.

Incubation period

The period between getting infected and the appearance of first symptoms.

Vector

An organism which carries a disease from one person/animal to a human.

Cholera

A bacterial disease caused by Vibrio cholera, affecting the small intestine, and transmitted through contaminated food and water.

Choleragen toxin

The toxin secreted by Vibrio cholera that disrupts the function of the epithelium lining of the intestine, causing severe diarrhea.

Oral rehydration therapy

A treatment for cholera involving a solution of salts and glucose given orally to replace lost fluids.

Malaria

A disease caused by the protoctist Plasmodium, transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito, affecting the brain, RBCs, and liver.

Prophylactic drugs

Preventive drugs, like quinine and chloroquine, used to prevent malaria.

AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)

A pandemic disease caused by HIV that targets T helper lymphocytes, macrophages, and brain cells, leading to opportunistic infections.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)

A retrovirus that causes AIDS by infecting and destroying T helper cells.

Zidovudine

A drug therapy for HIV/AIDS that slows down the onset of AIDS by binding to viral enzyme reverse transcriptase and blocking its action to stop DNA replication.

Tuberculosis (TB)

A bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, primarily affecting the lungs and transmitted through airborne droplets.

Isoniazid

An antibiotic used in the treatment of tuberculosis.

Rifampicin

An antibiotic used in the treatment of tuberculosis.

Antibiotic

A drug that kills or stops the growth of bacteria without harming the infected organism.

Bacteriostatic

An antibiotic that inhibits the growth of bacteria.

Bactericidal

An antibiotic that kills bacteria.

Penicillin

An antibiotic that inhibits the synthesis of bacterial cell walls.

β-lactamase/penicillinase

An enzyme that breaks down penicillin, produced by some bacteria to resist the antibiotic.

Vertical transmission

The transfer of a resistant gene from parent cell to daughter cell via binary fission.

Horizontal transmission

The transfer of a resistant gene via plasmids from one bacterium to another.

Antibiotic sensitivity test

A test to determine which antibiotic is most appropriate for usage against a specific bacterial infection.

Immunity

The ability to protect ourselves against infection by pathogens using the body’s internal defense.

External defense system

The body's defense mechanism that prevents pathogens from entering in the first place by physics, chemical and cellular barriers.

Internal defense system

The body's defense mechanism that recognizes pathogens as foreign and destroys them by the white blood cells.

Incidence

Number of new cases of a disease in a population over a specific period

Prevalence

Total number of cases (new and existing) of a disease in a population at a specific time

Mortality Rate

Number of deaths due to a disease in a population over a specific period

Asymptomatic Carrier

Individual infected with a disease but displays no symptoms and can transmit the disease

Incubation Period

Time between infection and the appearance of the first symptoms

Vector

Organism that transmits a pathogen from one host to another

Malaria

Disease transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes, caused by Plasmodium parasites

HIV/AIDS

Viral infection that attacks the immune system, spread through bodily fluids

TB

Infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, usually affecting the lungs

Retrovirus

Virus with RNA as its genetic material, which is converted to DNA inside the host cell (e.g., HIV)

Antiretroviral Drugs

Medications used to manage HIV infection by suppressing viral replication

DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, Short-Course)

TB control strategy where healthcare workers directly observe patients taking their medication

Antibiotic Resistance

Ability of bacteria to withstand the effects of an antibiotic, making infections harder to treat

Broad-spectrum Antibiotics

Antibiotics effective against a wide range of bacteria