Three Main Sources Of Infection Essay

There are three main sources of infection within living organisms. These main sources of infection are known as reservoirs. A reservoir is simply the usual habitat in which the agent lives and multiplies. In this sense the agent is the pathogenic microorganism. The main sources of infection are the following: Human reservoirs, Animal reservoirs and non living reservoirs.
Human Reservoirs is a source of infection by which a human acts as the host to a pathogenic microorganism. There are two types of Human reservoirs, these include: acute and carriers. Acute is people who are infected with the disease agent and become ill. Carriers are individuals that harbour the infectious agent but are not ill, serving as a source by which other individuals can be infected.
Animal reservoirs are the same as human reservoirs. They are in two categories, acute and carrier. Examples of animal reservoirs are cattle, sheep, as these are the most susceptible to infection.
Non living reservoirs are those that are inanimate, but are able to transmit infection or …show more content…
A foetus may even be infected via the placenta. However, sexual contact is the main source of transmission, the virus enters the bloodstream by means of the mucous membranes of the vaginal surface. Once in the bloodstream the presence of this pathogen, alerts the macrophages, which are located on the surface right beneath the skin, and the surface of mucous membranes, also the dendritic cells. These leukocytes bind to the virus and force it into the lymphatic system to the nearest lymph node for drainage. The lymph nodes contain great amounts of lymphocytes, T cells. The lymphocytes are the most abundant within the passive and innate immune system, these are formed within the bone marrow The HIV virus functions by attacking the lymphocytes, particular the T