mechanisms of infectious disease

Pathogen

Microorganisms capable of producing a disease.

Opportunistic infection

Infections that cause disease in immunocompromised hosts.

Prions

Protein particles lacking a genome that cause degenerative nerve diseases.

Symptoms of prion diseases

Chronic wasting disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, dementia, ataxia.

Virus life cycle stages

Attachment, entry, uncoating/secretion, replication, maturation, release, spread.

Bacteria classification criteria

Categorized by cell wall (gram-negative or gram-positive), shape, oxygen needs, spore formation, and special features.

Gram-negative bacteria

Harder to kill due to outer membrane that resists many antibiotics.

Fungal infections susceptibility

Most common in immunocompromised individuals, chronic illness patients, infants, elders, and hospitalized individuals.

Parasite examples

Members of the animal kingdom that can infect humans, e.g., ticks, mites, worms, lice.

Protozoal infection

An infection caused by single-celled organisms, e.g., malaria.

Signs of infections

Productive cough, fever, malaise, increased WBC.

Diagnosis of infections

Culture + sensitivity, gram stains, serology, detection of antigen.

Stages of infectious disease

Incubation period, prodromal stage, acute stage, convalescence.

Atypical course of infection

Fulminant (no prodrome), insidious (prolonged prodrome), subclinical/subacute (no clinical symptoms).