BIOLOGY: Infection and Response

• What is a communicable disease?

  A disease caused by pathogens that spreads
• How do communicable diseases affect health?

  They lead to poor health in individuals
• What distinguishes non-infectious diseases from infectious diseases?

  Non-infectious diseases are not caused by pathogens
• What are some types of pathogens?

  Bacteria, viruses, fungi, protoctists
• Why is it important to know the pathogen causing a disease?

  To control and prevent the spread of disease
• How can diseases be transmitted?

  Direct contact, contaminated water, airborne droplets
• What is the simplest way to prevent disease?

  Stop pathogens from spreading
• What are methods to prevent the spread of pathogens?

  • Good hygiene
  • Effective sanitation
  • Waste disposal
• What are hygienic food preparation practices?

  • Keep food cold to slow bacteria growth
  • Wash hands and clean surfaces
  • Cook food thoroughly
  • Use separate utensils for raw meat
• What personal hygiene practices help prevent disease transmission?

  • Wash hands with soap
  • Use tissues for sneezes and coughs
• How does waste disposal prevent disease transmission?

  • Dispose of waste food to prevent flies
  • Cover rubbish bins and remove waste regularly
• How does sanitation prevent waterborne transmission?

  • Plumbing and drains remove waste safely
  • Treat raw sewage to kill pathogens
• What role do vaccinations play in disease prevention?

  They reduce the likelihood of transmission
• What are common viral diseases?

  The common cold and the flu
• Why are viruses not classified as living organisms?

  They do not fulfil the 7 life processes
• How do viruses reproduce?

  By inserting genetic material into host cells
• What happens when a host cell bursts due to viral reproduction?

  It releases viral particles to infect other cells
• What is measles?

  A highly contagious viral infectious disease
• Who is most often vaccinated against measles?

  Most young children
• What is HIV?

  A virus that can lead to AIDS
• What is the Tobacco Mosaic Virus?

  The first virus isolated by scientists
• How does Salmonella food poisoning spread?

  By bacteria ingested in contaminated food
• What is gonorrhoea?

  A sexually transmitted disease (STD)
• What was the increase in gonorrhoea infections in the UK in 2018?

  26%
• What is athletes' foot?

  A fungal disease spread by contact
• How do hyphae contribute to fungal infections?

  They penetrate surfaces causing infections
• What is rose black spot?

  A fungal disease affecting plants' leaves
• How is rose black spot treated?

  Using fungicides and removing affected leaves
• What are protists?

  A diverse group of eukaryotic organisms
• How do protists typically spread diseases?

  Often need a vector for transmission
• What causes malaria?

  Protists from the Plasmodium family
• How is malaria transmitted?

  Through mosquitoes as vectors
• What are the first line of defence mechanisms in the human body?

  The skin, nose, trachea, and stomach
• What are the two types of defences in the human body?

  Biochemical and physical defences

  
• What is the role of white blood cells?

  To prevent and destroy infectious organisms
• What is phagocytosis?

  Engulfing and digesting pathogens by phagocytes

  
• How do antibodies function?

  They are specific to the antigens on pathogens
• What are memory cells?

  Lymphocytes that remain after an infection

  
• What do antitoxins do?

  Neutralise the effects of toxins from pathogens

  
• What is the difference between antigens, antibodies, and antitoxins?

  • Antigens: foreign substances triggering immune response
  • Antibodies: proteins produced to neutralize antigens
  • Antitoxins: antibodies that neutralize toxins