Communicable diseases

• What is a communicable disease?

  A disease that can be passed from person to person
• Give an example of a communicable disease.

  Common cold
• What are the four main types of pathogens mentioned?

  Protists, bacteria, fungi, viruses
• How do bacteria contribute positively to health?

  By treating sewage and making medicines and food
• What are the negative effects of bad bacteria?

  They produce toxins and damage other cells
• How do viruses reproduce?

  By going inside other cells and multiplying
• What happens to a cell when it is infected by a virus?

  The cell is taken over, damaged, and eventually bursts
• How are viruses spread through the air?

  By coughing, sneezing, and talking
• What are the main ways communicable diseases spread?

  • Direct contact (e.g., sexual contact, cuts)
  • Water (e.g., contaminated food or drinking water)
  • Air (e.g., coughing, sneezing)
• What is the role of animals in the spread of diseases?

  Animals can act as vectors (carriers) of pathogens
• How do fungal spores spread in water?

  Through water splashes for plant disease
• What is the effect of toxins produced by bacteria?

  They cover and stop respiration in cells
• What is gonorrhoea classified as?

  A communicable disease caused by bacteria
• How can one minimize the chances of contracting gonorrhoea?

  By avoiding contact with sex organs and using protection
• What is the treatment for gonorrhoea?

  Antibiotics
• Compare the characteristics of bacteria and viruses.

  Bacteria:

  • Can be good or bad
  • Larger than viruses
  • Can reproduce independently

  
  

  Viruses:

  • Always harmful
  • 100,000 times smaller than bacteria
  • Require a host cell to reproduce