Infectious Diseases

What is a disease?
An illness or disorder of the body or mind, that
leads to poor health, each disease is
associated with a set of signs and symptoms.
Difference between infectious and non
infectious disease: infectious diseases like
malaria and cholera are caused by a pathogen
and can be transmitted from an infected
person to an uninfected person. While non
infectious diseases like lung cancer and sickle
cell anemia are not caused by a pathogen so
cannot be transmitted.
 Names of the pathogens of
infectious diseases.
Cholera: bacterium- vibrio cholerae
Malaria: protoctist- plasmodium
falciparum
Tuberculosis: bacterium-
Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
HIV/AIDS: virus- HIV
Smallpox: virus- Variola
Measles: virus- Morbillivirus
 How are the diseases
transmitted.
Cholera: through contaminated food
and water.
Measles: Through the air
Malaria: Through the insect vestor:
Female anopheles mosquito
TB: Through the air or unpasteurized
milk or undercooked meat.
AIDS: through sexual intercourse,
contaminated syringes, ..
 The problems involved in treating the diseases:
Malaria: Genetic complexity of Plasmodium
Many stages of life cycle of the parasite
Antigens variation
Mutations
HIV/AIDS: Educating about risks
Expensive drugs
No vaccine
Symptomless carriers
Cholera: Poor Sanitation
Contamination of drinking water
Poor hygiene
Poverty
No effective Vaccine
Tuberculosis: difficulty to identify infected people
Weekend immune system
Refugees
Overcrowded regions
Transmission from animals to humans
No effective antibiotics
Resistant strains of bacteria
Lack of vaccination
 How penicillin acts on
bacteria
Penicillin prevents the synthesis of the
cross-links between the peptidoglycan
polymers in the cell walls of bacteria by
inhibiting the enzymes that build these
cross-links. Penicillin is only active
against bacteria while they are
growing. Penicillin prevents the
peptidoglycans from linking up but the
autolysins keep making new holes.
 Why do antibiotics not affect
viruses?
Viruses do not have cells- no cell
walls.
Antivirals are used to control viral
infections.
 How bacteria become resistant to
antibiotics?
A bacteria may become resistant if they
gain a gene coding for a protein that
protects them from the antibiotic.
Enzymes known as Beta-lactamase that
can break down antibiotics are found in
those resistant bacteria.
A mutation: an existing gene within the
bacterial genome changes to give rise to a
nucleotide thats codes for a protein not
affected by the antibiotic.
 Steps needed to reduce antibiotic
resistance:
Using antibiotics only when needed.
Reducing the number of countries in which
antibiotics are sold without doctors
prescription.
Using an antibiotic specific to the disease.
Making sure patients complete the course
of study.
Making sure patients do not keep unused
antibiotics for self-medication in the future.