Introduction to Infectious Diseases: Treatment and Prevention
Background Information and Introduction:
o Disease: Occurs when the cells in the body are damaged – as a result of the infection – and signs and symptoms of an illness appear.
o Airborne: transfer over long distances – agent suspended in air or fluid droplets
o Indirect: requires less intimate contact with the source
o Vehicle-borne in which contaminated inanimate materials transfer the agent (ex. clothes, bedding, food, and eating utensils)
o Vector-borne in which a living organism transfers the agent
o Viruses – treated using an anti-viral
o Fungi – treated using an anti-fungal
Introduction to Infectious Diseases: http://collab.nlm.nih.gov/webcastsandvideos/drew/infectiousdiseasesslides.pdf
- There are an infinite variety of microorganisms, however, relatively only few cause disease in healthy organisms.
- Infectious disease results from the interplay between pathogens and the defences of the hosts they infect.
- The appearance and severity of the disease resulting from any pathogen depends upon the ability of that pathogen to damage the host as well as the ability of the host to resist the pathogen.
- There is a distinct difference between infection and disease:
o Disease: Occurs when the cells in the body are damaged – as a result of the infection – and signs and symptoms of an illness appear.
- In order for a pathogen to cause disease, it must leave its previous host and enter a new host.
- There are three general modes by which a pathogen can be transported from one host to another:
o Airborne: transfer over long distances – agent suspended in air or fluid droplets
o Indirect: requires less intimate contact with the source
o Vehicle-borne in which contaminated inanimate materials transfer the agent (ex. clothes, bedding, food, and eating utensils)
o Vector-borne in which a living organism transfers the agent
- Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as:
o Viruses – treated using an anti-viral
o Fungi – treated using an anti-fungal
- Drugs, immunizations, and a “healthy” environment can control infectious diseases.
Introduction to Infectious Diseases: http://collab.nlm.nih.gov/webcastsandvideos/drew/infectiousdiseasesslides.pdf