PBS Unit 3.1 REVIEW

Epidemiologist

a specialist in the study of outbreaks of disease within a population group

Endemic

native or confined to a particular region or people; characteristic of or prevalent in a field

Outbreak

a sudden rise in the incidence of a disease

Pandemic

disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects a very high proportion of the population.

Nosocomial disease

hospital acquired infection

Infection

contamination or invasion of body tissue by pathogenic organisms

Host

an animal or plant that acts as a biological refuge in which another - often parasitic - organism may dwell.

Pathogens

disease causing agents

Prions

misfolded proteins with the ability to transmit their misfolded shape onto normal variants of the same protein in the body; several fatal and transmissible neurodegenerative diseases are caused

Viruses

nonliving organisms that need a host to reproduce that cause disease like influenza

Bacteria

single-celled organisms that can be a harmful strain in the body including pneumonia, meningitis, and strep throat

Protists

single-celled organisms, also called 'protozoa', that are responsible for a range of diseases, including malaria

Fungi

invades the tissue via spores and can cause disease that's confined to the skin, spreads into tissue, bones, and organs, or affects the whole body. Causes Althlete's foot

Helminths

parasitic worms that can dwell in the GI track

B-cells

a type of white blood cell that functions in the humoral immunity component of the adaptive immune system by secreting antibodies.

T-cells

one of the important white blood cells of the immune system that play a central role in the acquired immune response.

Mode of transmission

Indirect and direct

Portal of entry/exit

skin and mucous membranes, respiratory tract, urinary tract, GI tract, reproductive tract, blood

Susceptible hosts

Children, elderly, people with weaker immune systems

Reservoir

People, animals, the environment

Direct contact

exposure or transmission of a communicable disease from one person to another by physical contact

Indirect contact

Exposure or transmission of disease from one person to another by contact with a contaminated object.

Innate immunity

Immunity that is present before exposure and effective from birth. Responds to a broad range of pathogens.

Acquried immunity

Specific immune defense mechanisms. This form of immunity builds over a lifetime and use antibodies to respond to specific antigens.

Active immunity

Acquired following infection and recovery, or from a vaccine, your body makes its own antibodies.

Passive immunity

Acquired from the mother. Antibodies are given to a child through the placenta or through breast-feeding.

Innate immune system

tears, digestive enzymes, nasal mucosa and cilia, phagocytes, cilia, stomach acid, normal flora, secretions

Vaccine

a weakened variant or derivative of a pathogen that stimulates a host's immune system to mount defenses against the pathogen. Creates artificial immunity

Etiology

cause of disease

Morphology

Shape of cells

Microbiologist

Studies microscopic organisms

Characteristics of bacterial colonies

Color, Form, elevation, margin, size

Coccus

A spherical bacterium.

Bacillus

rod shaped bacteria

Spirillum

spiral shaped bacteria

Bacilli cell arrangements

Individual, chain

Cocci cell arrangements

Individual, cluster (diplo, tetrad, staph), chain

Peptidoglycan

A protein-carbohydrate compound that makes the cell walls of bacteria rigid

Gram positive

shows as a purple stain

Gram negative

shows as a pink stain

Gram positive cell wall

identifies a thick peptidoglycan layer exposed

Gram negative cell wall

identifies a thin peptidoglycan layer

Herd immunity

phenomenon that occurs when if majority of population is immune, outbreaks are limited to sporadic cases

Virologist

Someone who studies viruses, outbreaks and effects