Principles Of Infectious Disease

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Decomposition

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Positive of microbes: naturally occurring microbes break down dead plants and animals yielding nutrient molecules used by living organisms.

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Bioremediation

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Positive of microbes: Intentional use of microbes to break down human waste, toxins or pollutants. Usually requires a bit of manipulation to fully work. (Can add bacteria to environment or use nutrients to grow desired microbes)

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Normal Microbiota

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Positive of microbes: Microbes that live in/on the body and compete with/protects from harmful microbes.

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Nitrogen Fixation

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Positive of microbes: Bacteria remove nitrogen gas from the air and transform it into nitrogen-containing compounds ("fixed nitrogen"). This is transferred to plants and helps build proteins which we can then consume.

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Photosynthesis

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Positive of microbes: Microbes carry out more than half the photosynthesis on Earth.

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Food Production

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Positive of microbes: Microbes play direct role in producing many foods such as beer, wine, bread, yogurt, cheese. Certain bacteria can ferment sugars such as lactose which helps make food.

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Pathogen

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Microbe whose relationship with its host that is parasitic and results in infection AND disease

Entry --> Attach --> Survive host defense --> Causing disease

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Pathogenicity

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An organisms potential to cause infection and disease

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True pathogen

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WILL cause disease and infection

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Opportunistic pathogen

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Needs host to get something that weakens themselves. These pathogens can't develop in healthy people. (ex: immuno suppressed people are more likely to get an opportunistic pathogen)

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Infection

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Entry --> Attach --> Survive host defense

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Virulence

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level of pathogenicity (how bad is the bug)

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Virulence factor

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Any characteristic that assists a microbe in causing disease (ex: flagella)

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Bacterial Virulence factor

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Molecules/cell structures that aid in attachment, evade immune response and/or damage the host.

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Adhesion

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Surface molecules on bacteria attach to binding sites/receptors on host cell. (capsules, fimbriae)

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Evasion of Host defenses

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Resistance to immune system. (Ex: the capsule on bacterial surface protects bacteria)

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Antigeneic variation

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Surface molecules (antigens) change over time to disguise against immune system.

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Exoenzymes

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enzymes secreted by certain bacteria that break down host tissue/promote bacterial spread.

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Coagulase

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Produced by streptococcus and forms clots that protect bacteria while they reproduce

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Streptokinase

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Also produced by streptococcus. Next step after Coagulase; when bacteria are done reproducing, the streptokinase dissolves clot and frees bacteria to spread.

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Hyaluronidase

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Produced by certain streptococcus. This bacteria dissolves material that holds cells tissue together allowing bacteria to spread deeper.

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Exotoxins

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Protein molecules secreted by certain bacteria that change/kill host cells

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Diphtheria

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An exotoxin (cytotoxin) that stops protein production in host. Can cause blockage in breathing, and damage nerve/heart cells

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Botulinum

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An exotoxin (neurotoxin) that prevents transmission of impulses from nerve cells to muscles. Causes paralysis.

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Cholera

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An exotoxin (enterotoxin) that binds to cells in small intestine and causes severe diarrhea.

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Hemolysin

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An exotoxin that breaks open red blood cells and leads to tissue damage.

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Kock's Postulates

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Criteria established by Robert Koch to determine causative of new infection:

*The microorganism must be present in all cases of the disease.

*The pathogen can be grown in pure culture.

*The pathogen from the pure culture must cause the disease when inoculated into a healthy, susceptible laboratory animal.

*The pathogen must be re-isolated from the new host and shown to be the same as the originally inoculated pathogen

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Inoculum

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# of microbes in the inoculating dose. Infection will proceed only if a minimum number of microbes are present (infectious dose: ID)