Infectious agents:

Bacteria: Prokaryotic infectious agent

Bacteriophage : A virus which infects a
bacteria
Virus: Acellular infectious agent
Virus like particles: A virus particle with
no viral genome present
Fungus: Eukaryotic infectious agent

Parasites: Eukaryotic infectious agent

Prions: Infectious protein

Viroid: Infectious RNA

Tropism in Infection
Cell tropism: Which cell the infectious agent will infect

Tissue tropism: Which tissue the infectious agent will

infect

Host tropism: Which host the infectious agent will infect

Different types Infections

Acute infection Chronic infection Latent infection

Coinfection Reinfection Recurrent infection

Super infection Mixed infection Transinfection

Localized infection Systemic infection Asymptomatic infection

Iatrogenic infection Nosocomial infection Primary infection

Cross infection Community acquired infection

Contagious infectious disease Non contagious infectious disease

Acute infection: Sudden and rapid onset of infection is described as acute infection
Ex. Viral encephalitis, Meningitis.

Contagious infectious disease: Infectious disease in which Human to human transmission

occurs. Ex. COVID-19

Non-contagious infectious disease: Human to human transmission not possible.

Ex. Ear infection
Coinfection: Infection by two pathogens occurring simultaneously

Superinfection: Infection involving is two pathogens infecting the same cell, sequentially,
one after another

Localized infection: Infection occurring at a particulat site such as wound infection or oral infection

Systemic infection:
Infection affecting the entire body, rather than a single organ or body part. Example: infection
that is in the bloodstream is called a systemic infection.

Nosocomial infection (Also called Hospital acquired infection) Infections acquired while receiving
treatment at a healthcare facility, such as a hospital.

Community acquired infection: Infection acquired in the community

Cross infection: is the physical movement or transfer of pathogen from one
person, object, or place to another, or from one part of the body to another (such
as touching a Staphylococcus aureus hand to the eye).

Chronic infection: A chronic illness is a health condition that slowly develops

over time and lasts for at least three months. Many chronic infections can last for
several years
Example: Cystic fibrosis; Otitis media. Some chronic infection can be cured.

Latent infection: Infection lasts life time. Cannot be cured.

Example: Herpes virus infection; some type of tuberculosis

Asymptomatic infection: Infection but no symptoms. Example—carriage of

Helicobacter pylori in the gut
Opportunistic infection:

Infection caused by a pathogen when the host is immunocompromised—

Host immunity is not fully functional

Immunocompromised state may be due to

Drugs
Treatment procedure
Old age
Under age
Comorbidity

Classic opportunistic pathogen: Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Transinfection:

Transfer of infectious agent from one body site to another body site by host cells
which are not infected. Such cells are described as carrier cells, which just
carry the infectious agents to different body sites without themselves
being infected.

Niaph virus efficiently binds to lymphocytes and utilize them to transfer the
infection to different parts of the body. This unique mode
of potent systemic dissemination of the virus, is termed as transinfection.
Iatrogenic Infection:
Infection caused due to a harmful complication,
or other ill effect by any medical activity, including diagnosis,
intervention, error or negligence.

Iatrogenic infection on a Global scale:

Annual morbidity 20 million
Annual mortality 150 thousand
Latent infection: Viral genome becomes integrated into the host cell genome.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) undergoes a productive infection of epithelial cells at mucosal
surfaces and spreads to sensory neurons, where it can undergo a latent infection. From latently
infected cells, HSV can later reactivate to cause a recurrent infection in the epithelium.

Reinfection: Reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 means a person was infected,
recovered and then later became infected again

Recurrent infection: Recurrence' refers to the reappearance of symptoms in

survivors due to the persistence of pathogen at immunologically protected body sites,
Example: Quiescent bacterial reservoirs—in Urinary tract infection (UTI)
Latently infected neurons—Herpes

Quiescent bacterial reservoirs: Bacteria invade uroepithelial cell and survive intracellularly.
Cause recurrent UTI,
Pathogen genes in the human genome

Viral genes in human

Viruses insert their genomes into their hosts in the form of a provirus
There are around 30 different kinds of human endogenous retroviruses in people

Over 60,000 proviruses present in the human genome, which account for 8 %
of human genome

Bacterial genes in human

About 40 genes were found to be exclusively shared by humans and bacteria
Which are examples of horizontal transfer of genes from bacteria to vertebrates.
Epidemiological patterns of infectious agenst
Human Disease Animal Disease
Endemic Enzootic WHO decides when to
describe a disease as
Sporadic pandemic

Epidemic Epizootic

Pandemic Panzootic

Endemic: A disease which is always present in a community.

Sporadic: A disease randomly occurring in few places.
Epidemic: A disease occurring in many different regions in same
country or several different countries.
Pandemic: A disease with global occurrence, occurring in many
different countries (example: COVID-19)