INFECTIOUS

DISEASES
 Term Definition Example
These are diseases caused by organisms known as  Cholera
 Malaria

Infectious
pathogens. They are sometimes called communicable
diseases as they are passed from infected to uninfected  HIV/AIDS
diseases people (They are transmissible). Some also affect animals  Tuberculosis (TB)
and are passed from animals to humans.

Non - These are long –term, degenerative diseases that are not  Lung cancer
 Chronic obstructive

Infectious
caused by pathogens. Examples include; pulmonary disease
• Diseases of the gas exchange and cardiovascular systems
diseases • Inherited or genetic diseases  Sickle cell anaemia
 Cystic Fibrosis
• Deficiency diseases caused by malnutrition
• Mental disease
 Vertical
and Horizontal
transmission of
disease

In horizontal transmission
the transmission is among
individuals of the same
generation.

In vertical transmission
the transmission occurs from
mothers to their offspring.
 ANTIBIOTICS
Prophylaxis: prevention
Metaphylaxis: control - antibiotics to animals
Therapeutic: curative treatments
 Antibiotics cannot affect viruses.
An antibiotic can be Antibiotics can be antifungal.
taken by injection
 ANTIBIOTIC
MODE OF ACTION
 Cell wall

Cell membrane

Penicillin transpeptidase (DD Transcriptase) enzymes (glycoprotein peptidases) catalyse formation of peptide cross links
between peptidoglycan chains, which complete the strength of the cell wall.

Peptidoglycan
cross links Penicillin kills the enzyme
(DD Transcriptase) and as
DD a result the links are
Cell wall Transcriptase affected.
 penicillin is only active against
growing bacteria that are laying
down new cell wall components.

Penicillin
*Penicillin mentioned here is Cell membrane
prototype.

Prototype = initial Cell wall

Later derivatives were effective
on gram negative bacteria as
Cell membrane
well.
 ANTIBIOTIC
RESISTANCE
MRSA causes Wound infections, septicaemia (blood infection) and pneumonia.

Aseptic conditions in hospitals.

 Selection pressure
 Exposure to antibiotics exerts strong selection pressure on bacterial populations.
The mutations in genes (plasmids often carry genes for antibiotic resistance)
lead to new proteins.
 The new protein can be;
1. An enzyme (beta lactamase formerly penicillinase) which can breakdown
penicillin.
2. Membrane proteins pumping out antibiotics (efflux pumps) or inactivating them.
 The resistant bacteria has a selection pressure and is more likely to survive and
reproduce successfully.
 The offspring will inherit the alleles that confer resistance. A whole population of
resistant bacteria can therefore be produced. For this reason, it is important that
antibiotics are only used when necessary.
OVERCOMING
ANTIBIOTIC
RESISTANCE
 All bacteria should be killed by completing the course
in order to avoid the production of resistant bacteria.

Antibiotics do not affect on

Antibiotics cannot destroy viruses because they viruses so they should not
specifically target the machinery found in bacteria. Since be used in a viral infection
viruses do not contain any of this machinery, the antibiotic i-e; Viral flu
does not have a target to attack. Anti-viral medications and
vaccines can disrupt the reproductive cycle of the virus.
These medications are not antibiotics.
CHOLERA
Cholera

Cause:
Cholera is caused by a bacterium, Vibrio cholerae.
Transmission:
 Enters the body in contaminated food or water.
 The bacteria breed in the small intestine, where they secrete a toxin
that reduces the ability of the epithelium of the intestine to absorb
salts and water into the blood, causing diarrhoea.(fatal).
(Oral Rehydration Salt is given directly into vein not artery)

Prevention and control:

Crowded and impoverished, Refugee camps.
Treating sewage effectively, providing a clean water supply and maintaining good hygiene in food
preparation.
No fully effective vaccine for cholera.
MALARIA
 Plasmodium falciparum (or P. falciparum), Plasmodium vivax (or P. vivax)
Plasmodium ovale (or P. ovale), Plasmodium malariae (or P.
malariae)

Male mosquito;
does not need protein for egg production / male does not reproduce
does not have mouthparts for piercing skin (to suck blood)
does not produce anticoagulant (for blood)
adult male feeds only on plants / nectar (blood is toxic to males)
can’t detect presence of humans / mammals

Mostly found in Africa and equatorial regions.

It is difficult for for the medicines to attack plasmodium when it is present in
R.B.Cs.
Drugs are QUININE and ARTEMISININ.
TUBERCULOSI
S
Tuberculosis (TB) Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Mycobacterium bovis
Cause
TB is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis
or (more rarely) Mycobacterium bovis.

 Transmission
 Enters the lungs in airborne droplets of liquid.
 Crowded conditions.
It can infects cattle and humans also can become infected, most commonly through
consumption of unpasteurized milk products from infected cows.

 Prevention and control

 Poor accommodation,
 Weak Immune systems because of malnutrition or infection with HIV.
 Treatment of TB with antibiotics can often completely cure the disease.

Problems;
Lesions in lungs
• there are now many strains of the M. tuberculosis bacterium evolved resistance
• the bacteria reproduce inside body cells, where it is difficult for drugs to reach them;
• the drugs need to be taken over a long time period, which often requires a health worker
checking that a person takes their drugs every day.
HIV / AIDS
HIV is a virus Due to infection the damage which is caused by the virus,
leads to Acquired immune deficiency syndrome AIDS

Single strand RNA

Reverse transcriptase
 Reverse
transcriptase
In reverse transcriptase the RNA
is being converted to DNA.
[Retrovirus]

Attachment proteins
HIV replicates inside (help virus bind and Lipid envelope (alternative
to cell membrane)
T-Helper cells. integrate into the host cell)

This includes through contaminated needles, unprotected relations and between a

baby and infected mother during pregnancy via placenta and breast feeding.
HIV has high mutation thus difficult to treat..
 HIV/AIDS

Prevention and control

 All blood transfusions should be screened.
 Needles should be sterile and used only once.
 The chance of HIV passing from an HIV-positive mother to
her fetus is greatly reduced if treated with appropriate drugs.
 Now adays effective drugs can also greatly increase the length of time between a person
becoming infected with HIV and developing symptoms of AIDS, and can significantly prolong life.
 HIV infection rates are especially high in sub-Saharan Africa.(Economic reasons)
 Protoctist Bacterium

Aerosol
infection

Vibrio
D
cholerae

Mycobacterium
E
Tuberculosis