Biology CD Definitions

• Antibiotics:

  • Medicines that help to cure bacterial disease by killing infective bacteria inside the body
• Clinical drug testing:

  • Drug testing done on healthy human volunteers and patients
• Communicable disease:

  • A disease that can be spread between individuals either directly or indirectly
• Double blind trial:

  • A study performed where neither the researcher nor patient knows whether the patient is taking the drug or a placebo
• Gonorrhoea:

  • A sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by a bacterium with symptoms of a thick yellow or green discharge from the vagina or penis and pain on urinating
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV):

  • An infectious virus that weakens the immune system and can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)
• Malaria:

  • A disease caused by a protist that causes recurrent episodes of fever and can be fatal
• Measles:

  • A serious disease caused by a virus that shows symptoms of fever and a red skin rash
• Non-communicable disease:

  • A disease which cannot be spread between individuals
• Non-specific defence:

  • General physical and chemical barriers that defend the body against lots of different types of pathogens
• Pathogens:

  • Microorganisms that cause infectious disease
• Placebo:

  • A substance designed to be indistinguishable from a drug being tested but has no actual effect on the patient
• Preclinical drug testing:

  • Drug testing done in a laboratory using cells, tissues, and live animals
• Rose black spot:

  • A fungal disease where purple or black spots develop on leaves, which often turn yellow and drop early
• Salmonella:

  • A bacterial disease that is spread by bacteria ingested in food and can cause a fever, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea
• Side effects:

  • Other additional effects that the drug has that are different from the expected effect of the drug
• Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV):

  • A widespread plant pathogen affecting many species of plants which produces a mosaic pattern on the leaves and limits the plant growth
• Vaccination:

  • The process of introducing small quantities of dead or inactive forms of a pathogen into the body to stimulate the white blood cells to produce antibodies
• White blood cell:

  • An important type of cell that makes up the immune system and produces antibodies and antitoxins