Terms
organism that lives in or on another organism and gets its food from the host organism
parasite
idea discovered by Louis Pasteur that all contagious diseases are spread by microorganisms
germ theory
is contagious and may have symptoms that include fever, chills, muscle aches, or headaches
infectious disease
increase in number during the inflammatory response to help the body fight disease and infections
white blood cells
an organism that reproduces by spores and absorbs its nutrients
fungus
anything that causes an infectious disease
pathogen
when blood needs to be transferred from one person to another
blood transfusion
sickness or illness
disease
single-celled microorganism that can reproduce quickly and cause many infections, such as strep throat
bacteria
immune system response to something that is not a pathogen, such as dust or pollen
allergy
not contagious and may be inherited; includes cancer and heart disease
noninfectious disease
chemical, not made by the body, that kills or stops the growth of microorganisms
antibiotic
nonliving thing that can reproduce only in the cells of living things and causes colds, chicken pox, and flu
virus
when an organ is transferred from one body to another
transplant
rapid spread of an infectious disease to a large number of people in a short time in one region or community
epidemic
scientist who studies the spread of diseases through communities
epidemiologist
special protein made by the body that can destroy a specific pathogen
antibody
defensive barrier where scabs are formed to keep pathogens from entering the body through open wounds
skin
rapid spread of an infectious disease to many, many people in a very large area (country to country/ continent to continent)
pandemic
can spread from person to person
contagious disease