Communicable Disease Basics
What are communicable diseases?
Contagious diseases caused when pathogens enter the body.
Most bacteria are ______.
Harmless or helpful
Name a common contagious fungal infection.
Athlete’s foot or ringworm
Cold and flu are caused by what pathogen?
Viruses
Name one way diseases spread.
Direct contact, airborne, contaminated objects, vectors
Communicable disease spreads from one living organism to another through the ______.
Environment
What do harmful bacteria produce?
Toxins that kill cells or interfere with their functions
Fungi spread through microscopic cells called ______.
Spores or conidia.
Viruses must infect a ______ to reproduce.
Cell
Airborne droplets can travel up to how far?
10 feet
Name a type of pathogen.
Virus, bacteria, toxins, vector
Can antibiotics treat viruses?
No — antibiotics only treat bacterial infections.
Protists cause diseases like _______.
Malaria or dysentery.
Half of all new STIs occur among ages ______.
15–24
What are “fomites”?
Contaminated objects that transfer pathogens
What does “infection” mean?
When pathogens enter and multiply in the body
What is a superbug?
A microbe resistant to available treatments
Name one type of parasitic worm.
Flatworm, thorny-head worm, roundworm
Name two common STIs.
Chlamydia, gonorrhea, HPV, herpes, syphilis, HIV, etc
Name one vector-borne disease.
Malaria, Lyme disease, dengue, Zika
What happens when you “catch” an illness from another person?
You contracted a communicable disease
Name one example of a superbug organism.
MRSA, CRE, TB, Pseudomonas, Mycoplasma genitalium, etc.
What is the longest recorded tape worm length?
82 feet
What is the most effective way to prevent STIs?
Abstain from sexual activity.
Name one way to protect against vectors.
Avoid dawn/dusk outdoors, wear long sleeves, use repellent