Koch's Postulates and Symbiosis

These flashcards cover key concepts related to Koch's postulates and symbiotic relationships between organisms, as well as definitions related to pathology and infection.

Koch's Postulates

A series of criteria proposed by Robert Koch to establish a causative relationship between a microbe and a disease.

Commensalism

A type of symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit from each other.

Parasitism

A relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another, which is harmed but not killed.

Opportunistic pathogen

Microbes that can cause disease when the host's immune system is compromised or environmental changes occur.

Pathology

The study of disease, focusing on changes in structure and function of the body as a result of disease.

Etiology

The study of the cause of a disease.

Pathogenesis

The process by which a disease develops.

Infections

The invasion and colonization of the body by pathogenic microbes.

Abnormal state

A condition in which the body cannot function normally due to disease.

Transient microbes

Microbes that are temporarily present in the body, lasting from days to months before disappearing.

Microbial antagonism

The process by which normal flora inhibit the overgrowth of pathogens.