Chapter 14
Order by
75 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 pathology | the scientific study of disease |
| etiology | the study of the cause of disease |
| pathogenesis | the manner in which a disease develops |
| infection | the invasion or colonization of the body by pathogenic microorganisms |
| disease | occurs when an infection results in any change from a state of health |
| normal microbiota (normal flora) | microorganisms that live in the body and do not produce disease under normal conditions |
| transient microbiota | may be present in the body for several days, weeks, or months then disappear |
| microbial antagonism or competitive exclusion | normal microbiota benefit the host by preventing the overgrowth of harmful microorganisms |
| commensalism | a type of symbiosis where one of the organisms benefits and the other is unaffected |
| symbiosis | a relationship between two organisms in which at least one organism is dependent on the other |
| mutualism | a type of symbiosis that benefits both organisms |
| probiotics | live microbial cultures applied to or ingested that are intended to exert a beneficial effect |
| parasitism | a type of symbiosis where one organism benefits by deriving nutrients at the expense of the other organsim |
| opportunistic pathogens | microorganisms that ordinarily do not cause disease in their normal habitat in a healthy person, but may do so in a different environment (e. coli) |
| infectious diseases | diseases caused by microorganisms |
| Koch's postulates | used to determine the etiology of a disease |
| symptoms | changes in body function that is felt by a patient as a result of disease |
| signs | objective changes that can be observed and measured as a result of disease |
| syndrome | a specific groups of signs or symptoms that always accompany a particular disease |
| communicable disease | any disease that spreads from one host to another either directly or indirectly |
| contagious disease | diseases that are easily spread from one person to another |
| noncommunicable disease | a disease that is not spread from one host to another |
| incidence | the number of people in a population who develop a disease during a particular time period |
| prevalence | the number of people in a population who develop a disease at a specified time regardless of when it first appeared |
| sporadic disease | diseases that occur only occasionally in a pnopulatio |
| endemic | a disease constantly present in a population |
| epidemic | many people in a given area acquire a certain disease in a relatively short period |
| pandemic | an epidemic disease that occurs worldwide |
| acute disease | a disease that develops rapidly but lasts only a short time |
| chronic disease | a disease that develops more slowly and the body's reactions may be less severe, but it is likely to continue or recur for long periods |
| subacute disease | a disease that is intermediate between acute and chronic |
| latent disease | a disease in which the causative agent remains inactive for a time, but then becomes active to produce symptoms of the disease |
| herd immunity | when many immune people are present in a community |
| local infection | an infection in which the invading microorganisms are limited to a relatively small area of the body |
| systemic (generalized) infection | microorganisms or their products are spread throughout the body by the blood or lymph |
| focal infection | agents of a local infection enter a blood or lymphatic vessel and spread to other specific parts of the body where they are confined to specific areas of the body |
| sepsis | a toxic inflammatory condition arising from the spread of microbes from a focus of infection |
| septicemia | blood poisoning, a systematic infection arising from the multiplication of pathogens in the blood |
| bacteremia | the presence of bacteria in the blood |
| toxemia | the presence of toxins in the blood |
| viremia | the presence of viruses in the blood |
| primary infection | an acute infection that causes initial illness |
| secondary infection | caused by an opportunistic pathogen after the primary infection has weakened the bodies defenses |
| subclinical (inapparent) infection | an infection that does not cause any noticeable illness |
| predisposing factor | makes the body more susceptible to a disease and may alter the course of the disease |
| incubation period | the interval between the initial infection and the first appearance of any signs or symptoms |
| prodromal period | a relatively short period that follows the period of incubation in some diseases, early mild symptoms |
| period of illness | the period the disease is most severe |
| period of decline | the period the signs and symptoms subside |
| period of convalescence | the period the person regains strength and the body returns to its prediseased state |
| reservoir of infection | a continual source of the disease organisms |
| carriers | people who are living reservoirs of infection who do not show signs or symptoms |
| zoonoses | diseases that occur primarily in wild and domestic animals and can be transmitted to humans |
| soil and water | two major nonliving reservoirs of infectious disease |
| contact transmission | the spread of an agent of disease by direct contact, indirect contact, or droplet transmission |
| direct contact transmission | the direct transmission of an agent by physical contact between its source and a susceptible host |
| indirect contact transmission | occurs when the agent of disease is transmitted from its reservoir to a susceptible host by means of a nonliving object |
| fomite | the general term for any nonliving object involved in the spread of an infection |
| droplet transmission | microbes are spread in droplet nuclei that travel only short distances |
| vehicle transmission | transmission of disease agents by a medium such as food, water, or air |
| vectors | animals that carry pathogens from one host to another |
| mechanical transmission | the passive transport of the pathogens on the insect's feet or other body parts |
| biological transmission | an active process of transmission through the blood, pathogen reproduces in the vector |
| nosocomial infection | infection that does not show any evidence of being present or incubating at the time of admission to a hospital; acquired as a result of a hospital stay |
| compromised host | host whos resistance to infection is impared by disease, therapy, or burns |
| emerging infectious diseases | diseases that are new or changing, showing increase in incidence in the recent past |
| epidemiology | the science that studies when and where diseases occur and how they are transmitted in populations |
| descriptive epidemiology | entails collecting all data that describe the occurrence of the disease under study |
| analytical epidemiology | analyzes a particular disease to determine its probable cause |
| experimental epidemiology | begins with a hypothesis about a particular disease and experiments to test the hypothesis |
| CDC | a branch of the U.S. Public Health Service located in Atlanta, GA. |
| morbidity | the incidence of specific notifiable diseases |
| mortality | the number of deaths from specific diseases |
| morbidity rate | the number of people affected by a disease in a population in a given period of time |
| mortality rate | the number of deaths resulting from a disease in a population in a given period of time |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.