Communicable Diseases

• Pathogens are microorganisms that cause disease
• Pathegons cause communicable diseases that can be easily spread
• plants and animals can be infected by pathegons
• pathegons have several types
• bacteria is very small and can reproduce rapidly
• bacteria makes you feel ill by producing toxins that damage your cells and tissue
• viruses are not cells
• they can reproduce rapidly
• viruses live inside your cells and replicate themselves to produce many copies of themselves. the cells usually burst releasing new viruses
• this cell damage makes you feel ill
• protists are all eukaryotes and single celled
• some protists are parasites, they live on or in other organisms and cause damage often transferred by a vector
• some fungi are single celled and some have a body called hyphae
• hyphae can grow and penetrate human skin and the surface of plants, causing disease
• hyphae produce spores which move diseases from organism to organism
• Pathegons can be spread by drinking or bathing in dirty water
• pathegons can be spread by and infected persons airborne droplets (Coughing and sneezing)
• pathegons can be spread by direct contact with infected surfaces