a. Agent Identity
i. Reservoir can be either animate or inanimate. An example of animate is infections passed from animal to human are termed zoonoses, such as influenza, and rabies. An example of inanimate would be one where the source of pathogen is through media such as water, soil or food.
b. Virulence of agent
i. Major virulence of agent is toxin. The pathogen’s ability to produce toxin in known as toxigenicity, which alters the host cell’s metabolism. When the active growth of the pathogen is not required, rather just its toxin it is known as intoxication. When the host’s blood contains the toxins it is known as Toxemia.
c. Means of exposure to agent
i. The means of exposure to agent is not just being able to contact to the host, but survive the host’s defense mechanism to cause the disease. As microorganism, can grow and reproduce in a large variety of pH, temperature and oxygen concentration. Once the microorganism is exposed to the host’s environment to must adapt to attain its metabolic and physiological needs. The pathogen must compete with the host cells to flourish, in some cases pathogens have evolved protein secretion systems to kill host cells selectively. Hence the pathogen needs a suitable environment, nutrients and protection from host to survive and cause a disease.
d. …show more content…
Dose of agent
i. The quantity of microorganism to cause an infection varies from one microorganism to another. Some require high number to start an infection whereas others require few. The number of microorganism that is “required to cause disease in 50% of the inoculated host” is determined experimentally and is known as infectious does 50 (). Hence as the decreases, the quantity of microorganism needed to cause the infection decrease, therefore an increase in risk of the
i. Reservoir can be either animate or inanimate. An example of animate is infections passed from animal to human are termed zoonoses, such as influenza, and rabies. An example of inanimate would be one where the source of pathogen is through media such as water, soil or food.
b. Virulence of agent
i. Major virulence of agent is toxin. The pathogen’s ability to produce toxin in known as toxigenicity, which alters the host cell’s metabolism. When the active growth of the pathogen is not required, rather just its toxin it is known as intoxication. When the host’s blood contains the toxins it is known as Toxemia.
c. Means of exposure to agent
i. The means of exposure to agent is not just being able to contact to the host, but survive the host’s defense mechanism to cause the disease. As microorganism, can grow and reproduce in a large variety of pH, temperature and oxygen concentration. Once the microorganism is exposed to the host’s environment to must adapt to attain its metabolic and physiological needs. The pathogen must compete with the host cells to flourish, in some cases pathogens have evolved protein secretion systems to kill host cells selectively. Hence the pathogen needs a suitable environment, nutrients and protection from host to survive and cause a disease.
d. …show more content…
Dose of agent
i. The quantity of microorganism to cause an infection varies from one microorganism to another. Some require high number to start an infection whereas others require few. The number of microorganism that is “required to cause disease in 50% of the inoculated host” is determined experimentally and is known as infectious does 50 (). Hence as the decreases, the quantity of microorganism needed to cause the infection decrease, therefore an increase in risk of the