Strategies of Microbial Pathogenesis lecture zoom

What is microbial pathogenesis?

The process by which microorganisms cause disease.

List the major strategies of microbial pathogenesis.

Adherence, invasion, evasion, and damage.

What is adherence in microbial pathogenesis?

The ability of microbes to attach to host cells.

Define invasion in the context of microbial pathogenesis.

The process by which microbes enter host tissues.

What is evasion in microbial pathogenesis?

The ability of microbes to evade the host immune system.

Name a common mechanism of how microbes damage host cells.

Production of toxins.

What role do adhesins play in pathogenesis?

Adhesins are molecules that facilitate the adherence of pathogens to host cells.

Describe the importance of biofilms in microbial pathogenesis.

Biofilms protect microbes from the host immune response and antimicrobial agents.

What are invasion factors?

Components that enhance the ability of pathogens to invade host tissues.

Explain the concept of host immunity evasion mechanisms.

Strategies employed by pathogens to avoid detection and destruction by the host's immune system.

Define pathogenicity islands.

Genomic segments containing clusters of genes that enhance virulence.

List examples of bacterial toxins.

Exotoxins and endotoxins.

What is the difference between exotoxins and endotoxins?

Exotoxins are secreted by bacteria; endotoxins are part of the bacterial cell wall.

How do viruses typically cause damage to host cells?

By disrupting normal cellular functions and triggering immune responses.

What is the significance of virulence factors?

Virulence factors enhance a pathogen's ability to cause disease.

Describe the role of the immune system in pathogen defense.

The immune system recognizes and eliminates invading pathogens.

What is horizontal gene transfer?

The transfer of genes between organisms in a manner other than traditional reproduction.

How can horizontal gene transfer affect microbial pathogenesis?

It can confer new virulence traits to pathogens.

What are superantigens?

Toxins that stimulate an exaggerated immune response.

Explain the term 'opportunistic pathogens'.

Microbes that cause disease when the host’s immune defenses are weakened.

What is the role of leukocidins in pathogenesis?

Leukocidins kill white blood cells, impairing the immune response.

Define the term 'antigenic variation'.

The ability of pathogens to alter their surface antigens to evade the host immune system.

Discuss the impact of age and health on susceptibility to microbial infections.

Younger and older age groups, as well as those with compromised health, are more susceptible to infections.

What is passive immunization?

The transfer of active antibodies from one individual to another.

Describe one method of how microbes can evade phagocytosis.

By producing a capsule that protects them from being engulfed by immune cells.

How is molecular mimicry related to microbial pathogenesis?

Some pathogens disguise themselves as host cells to evade the immune response.

What is a vaccine?

A biological preparation that provides acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease.