Important words and concepts from Chapter 14, Black, 1999 (3/28/2003):

by Stephen T. Abedon (abedon.1@osu.edu) for Micro 509 at the Ohio State University

 

 

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Vocabulary words are found below

 

 

(1)               Chapter title: Host-Microbe Relationships and Disease Processes

(a)             "Pathogens have certain invasive capabilities, and you have a variety of defenses."

(b)             [host-microbe relationships and disease processes (Google Search)] [index]

 

TYPES OF SYMBIOSES

 

(2)               Symbiosis

(a)             A symbiosis is when two organisms live intimately close, typically over longer periods, often measured in generations for at least one of the organisms

(b)             If one organism is substantially larger than the other organism, such that the smaller organism lives in or on the other, then the larger organism is referred to as a host and the smaller as a symbiont

(c)             Symbioses are classified in terms of the benefits or costs accrued by the host in the course of the symbiosis (in general we assume that symbiont gains from the interaction)

(i)                  Mutualism

(ii)                Parasitism

(iii)               Commensalism

(d)             [symbiosis and microbiology (Google Search)] [index]

(3)               Mutualism

(a)             A symbiosis in which both host and symbiont benefit

(b)             For example, in the mitochondrial-eukaryote endosymbiosis the mitochondria benefits with a home, protection, provisioning of nutrients, and dissemination of progeny mitochondria; the host benefits from cellular respiration (plus additional biochemical tricks)

(c)             Other mutualistic relationships abound including between hosts and otherwise free-living microorganisms

(d)             [mutualism and microbiology (Google Search)] [biodiversity and mutualism in ecosystems] [modeling mutualism] [coevolution (and mutualism)] [marine mutualisms] [index]

(4)               Commensalism

(a)             A Commensalism is a symbiosis in which one of the participants (typically the symbiont) benefits but the other organism (typically the host) neither benefits nor is harmed

(b)             Due to the complex nature of symbiosis it is often difficult to describe costs and benefits with sufficient accuracy to make it possible to state with reasonable certainty that a host neither benefits nor is harmed by its symbiont

(c)             Consequently, commensalism is perhaps a rarely realized ideal

(d)             Nevertheless, in the absence of evidence that a symbiont either hurts or helps its host, the relationship is assumed to be one of commensalism

(e)             The majority of the organisms living in or on your body probably represent commensals, though this designation might require a consideration of microbial competition (a.k.a., microbial antagonism) as something other than a benefit provided by the symbiont to the host

(f)               [commensalism and microbiology (Google Search)] [commensalism] [index]

(5)               Microbial competition (microbial antagonism)

(a)             A microbe that fails to harm its host under ordinary circumstances and also does not overtly help its host may still provide a helpful service to its host (regardless, the symbiont gains by having a place to live as well as nutrients found on or in the body)

(b)             This is because such an organism is existing within a niche/location on or in the host; the filling of any niche/location by a not-harmful bacterium serves to prevent the filling of the same niche/location by a harmful bacterium

(c)             This prevention of harmful bacterial growth by a non-harmful bacterium is called microbial competition or microbial antagonism

(d)             (In my opinion, it is a matter of semantics whether microbial competition makes a symbiotic relationship a mutual one; that is, some argue that a microbe has to live somewhere and therefore any effect such a microbe has on preventing the growth of pathogens simply by filling this space/niche does not constitute a direct benefit to the host—instead it is an indirect benefit—and therefore the symbiotic relationship between host and a harmless microbe—that is effecting microbial antagonism is a commensal one)

(e)             [microbial antagonism, microbial competition (Google Search)] [index]

(6)               Parasitism

(a)             The third category of symbioses is one where the host is harmed while the symbiont gains (the latter, e.g., by having a place to live and something to eat)

(b)             Using the term parasitism in terms of a symbiosis includes many pathogens (indeed, all) including pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, helminths, and arthropods

(c)             Note that a more-narrow definition of parasite includes only the latter three categories (protozoa, helminthes, and arthropods)

(d)             "Parasitism encompasses a wide rage of relationships, from those in which the host sustains only slight harm to those in which the host is killed. Some parasites obtain comfortable living arrangements by causing only modest harm to their host. Other parasites kill their hosts, thereby rendering themselves homeless."

(e)             [parasitism and microbiology (Google Search)] [parasitism] [index]

 

INFECTIOUS DISEASE

 

(7)               Disease

(a)             "Disease is a disturbance in the state of health (of the host) wherein the body cannot carry out all its normal functions… When an infection causes disease, the effects of the disease range from mild to severe… Disease, or illness, is characterized by changes in the host that interfere with normal function."

(b)             [definition disease (Google Search)] [index]

(8)               How microbes cause disease

(a)             "Microorganisms act in certain ways that allow them to cause disease. These actions include gaining access to the host, adhering to and colonizing cell surfaces, invading tissues, and producing toxins and other harmful metabolic products. However, host defense mechanisms tend to thwart the actions of microorganisms. The occurrence of a disease depends on whether the pathogen or the host wins the battle; if it is a draw, a chronic, long-lasting disease may result." (emphasis mine)

(b)             [how microbes cause disease (Google Search)] [index]

(9)               Contamination

(a)             Contamination is the converse of sterility, i.e., an environment that is not sterile is one that is contaminated with microorganisms

(b)             Contamination is the first step toward the occurrence of infectious disease, i.e., a organism must be present (in the wrong place and at the wrong time as far as the host is concerned) to start down a path leading to disease

(c)             Note, however, that just because something is contaminated with a microorganism (including contamination of yourself) does not mean that disease is occurring or will occur

(d)             [microbe contamination, microbial contamination, bacterial contamination (Google Search)] [index]

(10)           Infection

(a)             Upping the ante in terms of progression towards disease is infection, the actual growth of an organism, particularly a pathogenic one, on or within a host

(b)             Infection can lead to disease (particularly if we define infection as a property solely of pathogenic microorganisms) but does not necessarily do so since hosts actively attempt to prevent the progression of infection to disease (see non-specific host defences & host systems, basic principles of specific immunity & immunization) [non-specific defenses of the host] [humoral immunity]

(c)             So long as a pathogen is prevented from invading tissues (either by itself or with its toxins) disease may not occur (compare colonization and invasion, below)

(d)             [microbe infection, microbial infection, bacterial infection, viral infection (Google Search)] [index]

(11)           Pathogenicity

(a)             Pathogenicity is an organism's capacity to cause disease; that is, whether or not it can cause disease

(b)             Note that this capacity is typically context dependent:

(i)                  Pathogenicity is higher in some environments (e.g., infection of the blood) than others (e.g., presence in the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract), or

(ii)                Pathogenicity is higher on some hosts but not on others depending on host susceptibility (in general or specifically towards a particular pathogen)

(c)             Pathogenicity can also depend on the number of organisms present, where many organisms have a greater potential of bypassing host defenses than fewer organisms of the same kind

(d)             A commensal, more or less by definition at a given place and given time, has a pathogenicity of effectively zero

(e)             For an organism to be pathogenic it must be able to invade a host, multiply in the host, evade host defenses, and harm the host in some way

(f)               [definition pathogenicity, pathogenicity, capacity to cause disease (Google Search)] [index]

(12)           Virulence

(a)             Virulence is the degree of disease an organism has the potential to cause

(b)             That is, a highly virulent pathogen can cause significant disease whereas an avirulent microorganism can cause little or no disease

(c)             The terms pathogenicity and virulence are closely related with (i) pathogenicity referring to an organism’s binary ability to cause disease (or not) given specific circumstances and (ii) virulence referring to the degree of disease caused (also dependent on specific circumstances)

(d)             Evolution of pathogen virulence:

(i)                  The virulence of a pathogen tends to increase (evolutionarily) when new hosts are readily available (think childbirth fever in the days of Semmelweis)

(ii)                The virulence of a pathogen tends to decline (evolutionarily) when new hosts are difficult to acquire (think sexually transmitted diseases where a very sick person will tend to not have sex and therefore not transmit the infection)

(iii)               Consider this analogy: If you had access to a new car every day, at no cost to you, then you would be less concerned about damaging one of those cars than when you are responsible for and paying for the vehicle you drive; pathogens, too: if a pathogen can be transmitted to a new host regardless of how much it damages it’s current host, then there may be little selection against host damage, a.k.a., host sickness, a.k.a., pathogen virulence (also, without a countering force to select against virulence, i.e., few hosts available given disease, one might expect selection for individual pathogens that reproduce the fastest within the host environment, producing the most “baby” pathogens within the infected host, and consequently, all else held constant, facilitating the most host damage)

(iv)              [the evolution and maintenance of virulence in microparasites] [index]

(e)             [definition virulence, virulence -factor -factors, virulence factors (Google Search)] [index]

(13)           Attenuation

(a)             Attenuation is a decline in virulence imposed on a pathogen by growing the pathogen under conditions that decrease its adaptation to growth on a given host; this is often done by growth in tissue culture or in otherwise non-host species

(b)             That is, by increasing a pathogen’s adaptation to one condition (e.g., tissue culture), the pathogen’s adaptation to another condition (e.g., us) may be reduced

(c)             Attenuation is often employed in the development of live vaccines (e.g., Sabin oral polio vaccine)

(d)             [virulence attenuation (Google Search)] [index]

 

INDIGENOUS MICROBIOTA

 

(14)           Normal (indigenous) microflora (microbiota)

(a)             "An adult human body consists of approximately 1013 (10 trillion) eukaryotic cells. It harbors an additional 1014 (100 trillion) prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms on the skin surface, on mucous membranes, and in the passageways of the digestive, respiratory, and reproductive systems."

(b)             The vast majority of those organisms do not cause disease except under special circumstances (movement to different body sites or decline in immunity)

(c)             Such microorganisms are collectively called normal microflora (as well as a variety of other names listed in the heading to this section such as indigenous microflora and normal microbiota)

(d)             Most of these organisms are considered commensals

(e)             These organisms may have more-or-less permanent associations with their hosts or more transient associations

(f)              See Table 14.1, Major normal microflora (unless otherwise noted, bacteria) of the human body

(g)             See Figure 14.3, Locations of resident microflora of the human body

(h)             [normal flora, normal microflora, normal microbiota, indigenous flora, indigenous microflora, indigenous microbiota (Google Search)] [index]

(15)           Microbe-free regions of the body

(a)             Note that normal microflora are not present on all regions of the body and that, in fact, the majority of the body is microbe free (except for the endosymbionts within our own cells) except under unusual (e.g., disease-state) circumstances

(b)             In particular, all of the interior of the body is microbe free (i.e., all but the gastrointestinal tract and the lower regions of the urogenital tract)

(c)             See Table 14.2, Body tissues, organs, and fluids that are normally microbe-free

(16)           Resident microflora

(a)             The resident microflora are the more-or-less permanent members of normal microflora

(b)             [resident microflora (Google Search)] [index]

(17)           Transient microflora

(a)             The transient microflora are present only under unusual (i.e., not usual) circumstances and only transiently (hours to months)

(b)             [transient microflora (Google Search)] [index]

(18)           Opportunists

(a)             Opportunists are members of the normal microflora that do not usually cause disease but can be pathogenic under certain circumstances, i.e.,

(i)                  Host immunosuppression

(ii)                Transfer to other parts of the body

(iii)               Elimination of microbial antagonism

(b)             Among opportunists are members of the genera Escherichia, Enterobacter, and Serratia

(c)             [opportunistic pathogen (Google Search)] [index]

 

ASSIGNING CAUSE

 

(19)           Koch's postulates

(a)             The means, or logic, by which a specific microorganism is classified as the cause of a disease is called Koch postulates

(b)             There are four of these postulates and generally all four postulates must be satisfied before an organism is considered by Koch’s postulates to be the cause of a disease

(c)             These postulates include:

(i)                  Evidence that the causative agent is always present when the specific disease is present

(ii)                Successful isolation of the causative agent in pure culture

(iii)               Ability of pure-cultures of the organism to cause disease in a healthy organism

(iv)              Successful isolation of the causative agent from the experimentally infected host (i.e., indication that replication of the presumptive causative agent has occurred

(d)             See Figure 14.4, Demonstration that a bacterial disease satisfies Koch's postulates

(e)             Koch's postulates are not foolproof and a number of complications can arise in assigning a specific disease to a specific causative agent

(i)                  There may exist more than one cause of a specific disease

(ii)                It might not be possible to grow the causative agent in pure culture

(iii)               There might not exist a suitable experimental host

(iv)              The disease might result from more than one causative agent acting in unison

(f)               [Koch's postulates (Google Search)] [Robert Koch (MicroDude)] [index]

 

KINDS OF DISEASE

 

(20)           Kinds of diseases

(a)             Disease may be classified in a number of ways, many of which we will subsequently discuss, including:

(i)                  Infectious disease

(ii)                Communicable disease

(iii)               Noncommunicable disease

(iv)              Contagious disease

(21)           Infectious disease

(a)             An infectious disease, as opposed to a noninfectious disease, is a disease that involves pathogen infection; any disease caused by a pathogen is an infectious disease; any disease not caused by a pathogen is a non-infectious disease

(b)             Note that infectious diseases are often notable in that the causative agent is not diluted with time, i.e., the disease process increases the prevalence of the causative agent (i.e., the pathogen replicates at the expense of the host)

(c)             However, not all infectious diseases are spread from host to host; additionally, not all infectious diseases are associated with pathogen infection of the host (e.g., intoxications can result from exposure to secreted toxin rather than the secreting organism)

(d)             [infectious diseases (Google Search)] [index]

(22)           Communicable disease

(a)             A communicable disease is an infectious disease that may be passed from individual to individual (particularly when all individuals involved are of the same species)

(b)             Yet, not all infectious diseases are considered communicable

(c)             A more narrow definition of communicable disease is one that is infectious during the incubation or recovery (convalescence) periods of a disease

(d)             [communicable diseases (Google Search)] [index]

(23)           Noncommunicable disease

(a)             A noncommunicable disease is an infectious disease that is not spread from individual to individual but instead is acquired from an inanimate object or other species

(b)             Noncommunicable infectious disease may be differentiated into three categories:

(i)                  Infections caused by opportunists arising from an individual’s own microflora

(ii)                Poisonings following ingestion of secreted exotoxins

(iii)               Infections acquired from organisms found in the environment (other than from individuals of one's own species)

(c)             [noncommunicable diseases (Google Search)] [index]

(24)           Contagious disease

(a)             A communicable diseases that is easily passed from individual to individual is said to be contagious

(b)             Yes, not all communicable disease are considered contagious (though certainly all contagious diseases are considered communicable)

(c)             [contagious diseases (Google Search)] [index]

 

ADDITIONAL CONCEPTS AND TERMS PERTAINING TO INFECTIOUS DISEASE

 

(25)           Syndrome

(a)             A syndrome is a combination of signs and symptoms that are characteristic of a disease

(b)             [syndrome (Google Search)] [index]

(26)           Symptom

(a)             A symptom is a characteristic of a disease that can be felt (by the individual with the disease) but cannot be measured by another individual

(b)             [symptom (Google Search)] [index]

(27)           Sign

(a)              A sign is a characteristic of a disease that can be measured by another individual (e.g., nurse or doctor)

(b)             [sign and disease (Google Search)] [index]

(28)           Virulence factors

(a)             Properties of a pathogens that allow them to cause disease are termed virulence factors

(b)             Virulence factors may distinguish a pathogenic microorganism from otherwise identical non-pathogenic microorganisms by allowing pathogens to invade, adhere to, and colonize a host, and then harm the host

(c)             Pathogens may harm the host by direct or indirect means

(d)             Virulence factors include

(i)                  Pili and capsules (used in adhesion to hosts and to prevent phagocytosis)

(ii)                Enzymes (used to evade host defenses or to harm the host)

(iii)               Toxins (used to either obtain nutrients from the host, to evade host defenses, or indirect means that do not aid the pathogen in its growth and survival)

(e)             See Table 14.3, Examples of adhesive virulence factors

(f)               [virulence factors (Google Search)] [index]

(29)           Adherence

(a)             Following contact with a host a crucial first step in an infection is adherence to the host

(b)             Failure to adhere to the host typically results in an inability to causes disease as well as removal from the host

(c)             Typical mechanisms of adherence are specific such that just as viruses may adhere to some cells but not others, bacteria may adhere to some cells (or tissues) but not to others

(d)             Typically, the host employs mechanisms designed to thwart adhesion

(e)             [bacterial adherence, microbial adherence (Google Search)] [index]

(30)           Colonization

(a)             It is not enough to adhere, disease typically only occurs if pathogen replication also occurs (exceptions are intoxications)

(b)             Colonization is the growth of bacteria that have adhered to epithelial tissues (e.g., skin, mucous membranes, or the tissue covering organs)

(c)             Key to understanding the difference between colonization and infection is that colonization does not necessarily cause disease

(d)             [bacterial colonization, microbial colonization (Google Search)] [colonization and invasion (Microbiology Webbed Out)] [index]

(31)           Invasion

(a)             Unless toxins are produced, or excessive numbers of organisms are present, colonization will not produce excessive disease

(b)             Instead, severe disease usually results from invasion

(c)             Invasion is the growing of infections into tissues, i.e., through and then beneath epithelial tissues

(d)             Invasion is damaging both because epithelial tissue must be damaged to allow invasion to occur and because invasion allows direct damage to underlying tissues

(e)             Invasion can be also be associated with avoidance of host defenses (including hiding in blood clots and hiding intracellularly within host cells)

(f)              See Figure 14.5, Enzymatic virulence factors help bacteria invade tissues and evade host defenses

(g)             [bacterial invasion, microbial invasion (Google Search)] [colonization and invasion (Microbiology Webbed Out)] [index]

 

TOXINS

 

(32)           Toxins

(a)             Toxins are substances produced, for example, by microorganisms, that are poisonous to host organisms

(b)             Bacterial toxins may be classified as either exotoxins or endotoxins

(c)             There is a profound difference between these two types of toxins as we shall discuss

(d)             See Table 14.4, Properties of toxins

(e)             [bacterial toxins, microbial toxins (Google Search)] [index]

(33)           Exotoxins

(a)             Exotoxins are produced predominantly (though not exclusively) by Gram-positive bacteria

(b)             Exotoxins are soluble substances secreted by bacterial cells

(c)             Exotoxins act by a variety of mechanisms and symptoms that result from exposure to an exotoxin depend on the structure of the exotoxin one is exposed to

(d)             Some exotoxins are enzymes, e.g., hemolysins that catalyze the lysis of red blood cells

(e)             Other exotoxins damage or destroy phagocytic cells that have engulfed an exotoxin producer

(f)               Exotoxins may be distinguished in terms of the specific tissues they act against, e.g., neurotoxins and enterotoxins

(g)             See Table 14.5, Effects of exotoxins

(h)             [exotoxins (Google Search)] [index]

(34)           Neurotoxins

(a)             Neurotoxins are exotoxins that act on nervous system tissue

(b)             Examples of neurotoxins are the botulism and tetanus toxin, preventing muscle contraction and muscle relaxation, respectively

(c)             [neurotoxins (Google Search)] [index]

(35)           Enterotoxins

(a)             Enterotoxins are exotoxins that act on tissues of the gastrointestinal tract

(b)             [enterotoxins (Google Search)] [index]

(36)           Intoxication

(a)             A disease caused by the ingestion of a toxin (i.e., as opposed to caused by the ingestion of a toxin-producing bacteria) are called intoxications (an ingestion of a toxin-producing bacteria is called an infection)

(b)             Food poisonings are intoxications

(c)             Botulism as well as Staphylococcus food poisoning are examples of intoxications

(d)             [intoxication and toxins (Google Search)] [index]

(37)           Toxoid

(a)             Many exotoxins are antigenic, i.e., antibodies can be made to them

(b)             However, typically exotoxins are produced in such small quantities that the host fails to develop an immune response against them

(c)             A way around this is to vaccinate using relatively large quantities of inactivated toxins, i.e., no-longer-toxic toxins, that are still antigenically intact

(d)             Such inactivated toxins are termed toxoids

(e)             Toxoids are typically produced by exposure to chemicals such as formaldehyde

(f)               Vaccines that employ toxoids include the tetanus and diphtheria vaccines

(g)             [toxoids and toxins (Google Search)] [index]

(38)           Endotoxin

(a)             Endotoxin is the lipid A portion of LPS

(b)             Endotoxins are associated with Gram-negative bacteria

(c)             Endotoxins are weak except in large doses and produce similar effects independent on the producing organism

(d)             Large doses are especially a problem given Gram-negative septicemia

(e)             Endotoxins cause damage that is a consequence of the body using endotoxins as a signal for Gram-negative bacterial infections; excessive amounts of endotoxin cause the body to overreact and damage itself

(f)               Endotoxins typically are released following bacterial division or lysis

(g)             Antibiotics that lyse Gram-negative bacteria can produce a toxemia that increases symptoms rather than alleviating them

(h)             Symptoms can include severely reduced blood pressure (endotoxic shock), fever, tissue damage, and death

(i)               Gram-negative septicemia is an acute, difficult to treat killer

(j)               There is no such thing as an endotoxin toxoid nor a vaccine against endotoxin

(k)             [endotoxins (Google Search)] [index]

 

TYPES OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE

 

(39)           Types of diseases

(a)             Infectious disease can be described as being

(i)                  Acute, chronic, subacute, latent, or as an inapparent (subclinical) infection

(ii)                Local, focal, or systemic

(iii)               Septicemia, bacteremia, viremia, or toxemia

(iv)              A primary infection, secondary infection, superinfection, or a mixed infection

(b)             Summarized in Table 14.7, Terms used to describe infections

(c)             (Note that many of the general searches below, especially of the phrases/terms ending with “infection”, are full of examples but can provide relatively few general discussions)

(40)           Acute infection

(a)             An acute infection develops rapidly but is soon over

(b)             For example, food poisoning

(c)             [acute infections, acute infection (Google Search)] [acute inflammation] [index]

(41)           Chronic infection

(a)             A chronic infection develops slowly and is not soon over

(b)             For example, mycoses, tuberculosis, etc.

(c)             [chronic infections, chronic infection (Google Search)] [index]

(42)           Subacute infection

(a)             A subacute infection is the gray zone between acute and chronic

(b)             [subacute infections, subacute infection (Google Search)] [index]

(43)           Latent infection

(a)             A latent infection is sign-less or symptom-less for a long while before signs and symptoms appear (e.g., AIDS)

(b)             [latent infections, latent infection (Google Search)] [index]

(44)           Inapparent (subclinical) infection

(a)             An inapparent infection that does not display signs or symptoms or, at least, all of the signs typically associated with a given syndrome

(b)             Minimally asymptomatic carriers of disease display inapparent infections

(c)             [inapparent infections, inapparent infection, subclinical infections, subclinical infection (Google Search)] [index]

(45)           Local infection

(a)             A local infection is confined to a certain area (e.g., a pimple)

(b)             [local infections, local infection (Google Search)] [index]

(46)           Focal infection

(a)             A focal infection begins as a local infection but then spreads beyond the local area as a bacteremia, or toxemia

(b)             Note that the term focal infection is commonly employed in dentistry referring to the introduction of microorganisms, microbial waste products, or microbial toxins into the blood from the mouth, particularly associated with mouth infections (to some extent a controversial linkage) or following invasive dental procedures

(c)             [focal infections, focal infection (Google Search)] [focal infections in dentistry (including a 389 reference bibliography)] [focal infections in dentistry (portions of reviews)] [index]

(47)           Systemic infection

(a)             A systemic infection is spread throughout the body in the blood or lymph

(b)             [systemic infections, systemic infection (Google Search)] [bacteremia, septicemia, and septic shock (a list of references)] [index]

(48)           Septicemia

(a)             Septicemia is the growth of bacteria in the blood (a.k.a., blood poisoning)

(b)             [septicemia (Google Search)] [index]

(49)           Bacteremia

(a)             A bacteremia is the presence, without multiplication, of bacteria in the blood

(b)             [bacteremia (Google Search)] [index]

(50)           Viremia

(a)             A viremia is the presence of virus in the blood (this would be in the acellular portion of the blood; recall that viruses require cells to multiply and that these cells are not necessarily blood cells)

(b)             [viremia (Google Search)] [index]

(51)           Toxemia

(a)             A toxemia is the presence of toxins in the blood

(b)             [toxemia (Google Search)] [index]

(52)           Primary infection

(a)             A primary infection is the infection of a not-currently infected person

(b)             ["primary infection" -HIV (Google Search)] [index]

(53)           Secondary infection

(a)             A secondary infection is an infection that quickly follows a primary infection

(b)             [“A second infection that occurs during or after treatment of a primary infection. It may result from the treatments or from alterations in the immune system.” (RealPittsburgh.com)]

(c)             ["secondary infection" (Google Search)] [index]

(54)           Superinfection

(a)             A superinfection is a secondary infection caused by the treatment of a primary infection (e.g., as in the superinfection by an antibiotic-resistant organism following antibiotic treatment)

(b)             [superinfection (Google Search)] [index]

(55)           Mixed infection

(a)             A mixed infection is a syndrome that is caused by a combination of two or more infections (i.e., different pathogens)

(b)             Mixed infections are unusual; most diseases are caused by a single pathogen

(c)             [mixed infection (Google Search)] [index]

 

STAGES OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE

 

(56)           Stages of an infectious disease

(a)             Infectious diseases tend to occur in stages including (in typical order)

(i)                  Incubation period

(ii)                Prodromal phase (not typical)

(iii)               Invasive phase

(iv)              Acme

(v)                Decline phase

(vi)              Convalescence period

(vii)             Sequelae (not typical)

(b)             See Figure 14.9, Stages in the course of an infectious disease

(c)             See Table 14.8, Correlation of signs and symptoms with tissue damage

(d)             [stages of an infectious disease (Google Search)] [index]

(57)           Incubation period

(a)             Once an infection has begun but prior to the occurrence of signs and symptoms is the period of incubation

(b)             Incubation periods vary with host and organism

(c)             An individual may be able to spread the disease to others during the incubation period (depending on type of pathogen)

(d)             If host defenses are successful, an infection may disappear without progressing beyond the incubation period

(e)             See Figure 14.10, Incubation periods of selected infectious diseases

(f)               ["incubation period" and "infectious disease" (Google Search)] [index]

(58)           Prodromal period

(a)             The prodromal period is a time when symptoms (and signs) appear, but full-blown illness has not-yet begun

(b)             Basically, you are vaguely aware you are sick

(c)             Not all diseases have prodromal periods

(d)             If host defenses are successful, an infection may disappear without progressing beyond this vague feeling of being sick

(e)             ["prodromal period" and "infectious disease" (Google Search)] [index]

(59)           Invasive phase (period of illness)

(a)             The invasive phase (a.k.a., period of illness) is the phase during which the typical signs and symptoms of the disease are apparent

(b)             The host at this point is doing its best to fight off the disease

(c)             Given unsuccessful host defenses, the invasive phase can progress to death

(d)             [invasive phase, "period of illness" and "infectious disease" (Google Search)] [index]

(60)           Acme

(a)             The acme is the peak of disease symptoms (and signs)

(b)             The occurrence of an acme results either from the infection being self-limiting, or the host immune system or medical procedures bringing the infection under control

(c)             [acme and "infectious disease" (Google Search)] [index]

(61)           Decline phase

(a)             This is the period during which symptoms (and signs) decrease as the infection is brought further under control

(b)             ["decline phase" and disease (Google Search)] [index]

(62)           Convalescence period

(a)             This is the time during which the host repairs the damage wrought by the infection

(b)             Individuals are not necessarily, depending on disease/pathogen, no-longer contagious

(c)             The body returns to normal health

(d)             [convalescence period (Google Search)] [index]

(63)           Sequelae

(a)             An inability of the body to fully repair the damage due to an infection can result in sequelae which are persisting disease aftereffects

(b)             [sequelae and disease (Google Search)] [sequelae of acute inflammation] [the long term sequelae of missed tendon injuries around the ankle] [the prevention of low birth weight and its sequelae] [sequelae to pelvic inflammatory disease] [late sequelae of radiation therapy to the extremity (must do search to find phrase/heading)] [index]

(64)           Vocabulary [index]

(a)             Acme

(b)             Acute infection

(c)             Adherence

(d)             Attenuation

(e)             Bacteremia

(f)               Chronic infection

(g)             Colonization

(h)             Commensalism

(i)               Communicable disease

(j)               Contagious disease

(k)             Contamination

(l)               Convalescence period

(m)           Decline phase

(n)             Disease

(o)             Endotoxin

(p)             Enterotoxins

(q)             Exotoxins

(r)              Focal infection

(s)              How microbes cause disease

(t)               Inapparent infection

(u)             Incubation period

(v)             Indigenous microflora

(w)           Indigenous microbiota

(x)             Infection

(y)             Infectious disease

(z)              Intoxication

(aa)          Invasion

(bb)         Invasive phase

(cc)          Kinds of diseases

(dd)         Koch's postulates

(ee)          Latent infection

(ff)             Local infection

(gg)          Microbe-free regions of the body

(hh)          Microbial antagonism

(ii)              Microbial competition

(jj)             Microbiota

(kk)         Microflora

(ll)              Mixed infection

(mm)      Mutualism

(nn)          Neurotoxins

(oo)         Noncommunicable disease

(pp)         Normal microflora

(qq)         Normal microbiota

(rr)            Opportunists

(ss)           Parasitism

(tt)             Pathogenicity

(uu)          Period of illness

(vv)          Primary infection

(ww)      Prodromal period

(xx)          Resident microflora

(yy)          Secondary infection

(zz)           Septicemia

(aaa)      Sequelae

(bbb)     Sign

(ccc)      Stages of an infectious disease

(ddd)     Subacute infection

(eee)      Subclinical infection

(fff)           Superinfection

(ggg)      Symbiosis

(hhh)      Symptom

(iii)            Syndrome

(jjj)           Systemic infection

(kkk)     Toxemia

(lll)            Toxins

(mmm)Toxoid

(nnn)      Transient microflora

(ooo)     Types of diseases

(ppp)     Viremia

(qqq)     Virulence

(rrr)         Virulence factors