Disease Flashcards

Nonsocomial Disease

• Diseases acquired in a hospital setting.
• Examples: UTI, Infections

Zoonotic Disease

• Diseases transmitted from animals to humans.
• Examples: Rabies, Salmonella, COVID, Lyme Disease
• Preventative measures: Wash hands, vaccinate pets, cook meat properly.

Five Periods of Disease

• Incubation
• Prodromal
• Illness
• Decline
• Convalescence

Portals of Entry

• Anatomic sites through which pathogens can pass into host tissue.
• Examples: Skin, mucous membranes, wounds, bites

Adhesion

• A phase of the portal of entry where pathogens attach to host tissues.
• Involves proteins, carbohydrates, or ligands on the pathogen's surface.
• Biofilms act as an adhesion factor.

Systemic Infection

• An infection found throughout the body.

Primary Infection

• The first time the body is infected by a specific pathogen (bacteria, virus, fungus).
• Initiates the illness and the immune response.

Exotoxins

• Biologically active products secreted by pathogens, mostly Gram-positive bacteria.
• Secreted as part of their growth and metabolism.
• Significance: Some of the most lethal chemicals known.
• Poisons released by some bacteria that can damage tissues or cause symptoms in diseases.
• A major reason why some bacterial infections make you very sick.
• They are PROTEINS.

Endotoxins

• Part of the bacterial cell and not a metabolic product.
• Located in the outer portion of the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria.
• These bacteria have an outer membrane surrounding the peptidoglycan layer of the cell wall.
• They are LIPIDS.
• When released, they can cause fever, inflammation, or even shock.

Helminths

• Parasitic worms.
• Their waste products can contribute to disease.
• Examples: Pinworms, Tapeworms, Roundworms, blood flukes

Vectors

• Mechanical or biological carriers of disease from one host to another.
• Mechanical vectors: involve an animal not infected itself.
• Biological vectors: Transmit pathogen while being infected itself.

Emerging Disease

• An infectious disease either new to the human population or showing an increase in prevalence in the previous 20 years.

Reemerging Disease

• A disease that is increasing in frequency after a period of decline.
• Examples: TB, Malaria, Pneumonia

WHO: World Health Organization

• Monitors and reports on infectious diseases.
• Develops and implements strategies for control and prevention.
• Develops public health campaigns.

CDC: Center for Disease Control

• Can implement quarantine.
• Protects public health to prevent/control diseases.

Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)

• Patients must have been admitted to the healthcare facility for a reason other than the infection for the infection to be classified as HAI.
• Also called a nosocomial infection.

Quarantining

• Isolating a patient to prevent spreading disease.
• Protects vulnerable populations, reduces outbreaks, and gives healthcare systems time to respond.

Droplet Transmission

• Occurs when an individual coughs or sneezes.
• Small droplets of mucus are ejected, which can transmit a pathogen to a new host if it is one meter away or less; Over that is airborne.

Direct Transmission

• Involves physical contact like touching, kissing, sex, or droplet spray.
• Can be vertical (mom to baby during breastfeeding) or horizontal (skin-to-skin with the mucous membrane).

Indirect Transmission

• Involves inanimate objects (Fomites) that have been contaminated with pathogens from an infected individual.
• Could be Airborne/Droplet

Joseph Lister

• A British surgeon who introduced antiseptic techniques in surgery, helping to reduce infection.
• He was a proponent of handwashing.

Florence Nightingale

• A British nurse who helped improve hospital sanitation and is known as the founder of modern nursing.
• Kept meticulous records.

Etiology

• It is the study of the cause of a disease.
• It helps doctors diagnose accurately, choose the right treatment, and helps prevent the disease from spreading or coming back.