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Infectious diseases
Pathogens
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beth riley
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Pathogens
are
microorganisms
that cause
infectious diseases.
Bacteria
:
Once inside the human body, bacteria
reproduce
very
rapidly.
Bacteria can then release harmful chemicals called
toxins.
Toxins damage tissues
and make us feel
ill.
Viruses
cannot
reproduce
by
themselves.
They can only reproduce inside a
host cell.
Viruses:
The virus
invades
the
host cell
The virus now
reproduces
inside the host cell
This is very
damaging
to the cell. When the virus leaves the cell, it can cause the cell to
burst open
and
die.
Some pathogens are spread in the
air
e.g. in
water droplets
(
influenza
)
Some pathogens
can be spread directly
in
water
(e.g.
cholera
)
Some pathogens are spread by
direct contact
between individuals (e.g.
HIV
)
Reducing the spread of pathogens:
washing you hands
before
eating
providing people with
clean drinking water
using
condom
during
sexual intercourse
reduced the spread of
HIV
In the case of some highly infectious diseases such as
Ebola
, patients may be
isolated
vaccinations