Disease Transmission, Pathogenesis, and Osmoregulation practice flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering disease transmission mechanisms, pathogen types, plant and human osmoregulation, and the factors of pathogenesis.

Quarantine

The practice of isolating an infected or possibly infected person or group from the rest of the population for the duration of the disease's infectious period.

Contact Tracing

A method used to limit disease spread by isolating an infected individual and monitoring the people they have been in contact with.

Disease-specific vectors

Specialized organisms that carry and transmit a pathogen to another living thing, such as mosquitoes carrying malaria.

Virus

A non-living, acellular pathogen enclosed in a protein coat (capsid) that cannot reproduce independently of a host cell.

Prion

A non-living, acellular infectious protein that is misfolded and highly resistant, causing cells to break down.

Bacteria

Unicellular, prokaryotic living organisms that can disrupt homeostasis by competing for space and nutrition.

Fungi

Eukaryotic organisms with cell walls made of chitin, such as mushrooms and yeast, which are heterotrophic and often attack body surfaces.

Parasites

Multicellular organisms that derive nutrients from a host and can be classified as endo or exo parasites.

Protists

Single-celled eukaryotic organisms, including parasitic protozoa, that feed off other organisms to disrupt cellular and organ function.

Herd Immunity

A form of indirect protection from infectious disease that occurs when a large percentage of a population is immune, protecting individuals who are not immune.

Stomata

Small structures usually found on the underside of leaves that use guard cells to control gas exchange and water vapour loss.

Transpiration

The continuous one-way flow of water from roots to leaves, where water vapour exits the plant and pulls more water up the xylem vessels.

Stomata density

A mathematical measurement of the number of stomata per unit area, expressed as $stomata/mm^2$.

Waxy cuticle

A coating on the leaf epidermis that reduces water loss while allowing small amounts of $O_2$, $CO_2$, and water vapour to diffuse.

Vacuole

A central plant organelle that stores minerals and nutrients and uses turgor pressure to maintain the structural integrity and rigidity of the plant.

Abscisic Acid (ABA)

A plant hormone produced during water stress that causes stomatal closure, promotes seed dormancy, and triggers leaf fall (abscission).

Xerophytes

Plants adapted to harsh, dry environments with features like leaf spines, sunken stomata, and thick waxy cuticles to reduce transpiration.

Hydrophytes

Plants adapted to aquatic environments, characterized by large air spaces for floating, thin cuticles, and stomata on upper leaf surfaces.

Halophytes

Plants adapted to salty environments that may excrete salt through glands or restrict ion entry through roots.

Osmoregulation

The physiological regulation of water and salt concentrations within the body, controlling the movement of water via osmosis.

Antidiuretic hormone (ADH)

A hormone produced in the hypothalamus and stored in the pituitary that increases the water permeability of the distal tubule and collecting duct in the kidneys.

Diuresis

The physiological term for urination.

Pathogenesis

The ability of a pathogen to cause disease, which requires entering the host, multiplying, resisting host defenses, and damaging the host.

Adherence factors (Adhesins)

Proteins or carbohydrates on the surface of pathogens that allow them to attach to specific host cells or tissues, such as Protein F in Streptococcus pyogenes.

Invasion factors

Molecules or enzymes secreted by pathogens that enable them to break down host barriers and penetrate deeper into tissues.

Capsules

A thick protective layer surrounding some bacteria that prevents immune recognition and engulfment by macrophages.

Toxins

Harmful substances produced by pathogens that can cause direct tissue damage or trigger extreme immune responses like septic shock.

Antigens

Substances, typically proteins or carbohydrates on cell surfaces, capable of stimulating an immune response.

Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)

Unique surface molecules on body cells that function as identification tags to identify the cells as 'self'.

Immunogen

A specific type of antigen that elicits an immune response from the host's immune system.