Pathogens And The Spread Of Disease

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Recommended: Environmental transmission of pathogens

Contents

1.1Introduction

1.2Methodology

2.0 What is a Pathogen?

2.1 Major Categories of pathogens/micro-organism

2.2 Bacteria

Fig 2.3 Bacterial Shapes

2.4 Viruses

Fig 2.5 Structure of a virus

2.6 Fungi

2.7 Parasites

3.0 Pathogenic Environment

4.0 What is disease?

4.1 How disease spreads

5.0 Conclusion

References

Pathogens and the spread of disease

1.1Introduction

“Health depends on the body maintaining its internal harmony.” (The U205 Course Team, 1985)

Health is a momentary condition of ones state of physical and mental well being. This is constantly compromised by the threat of disease. It is often hard to define exactly what disease is, however it is generally conceived as any undesirable bodily or mental condition which causes an organism to alter from its normal state of existence (Nesse, 2000).

1.2 Methodology

Our concern is to discuss and explore the abnormal functions and structures of pathology which underlie in illness and disease. To do so we have to ask a few questions. Firstly we need to discuss what disease is any why it occurs; we then need to consider the definition of pathogens and the major categories of micro-organisms and their microbial environment. Furthermore we shall analyze the pathogenesis of infection which deals with how disease spreads and what role pathogens play in the advance of it.

2.0 What is a pathogen ?

Diseases in all humans, plants and other organisms are caused by micro-organisms called pathogens; these can be micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, helminths and protozoa (Inglis,1996). The term pathogen is most commonly used to describe an infectious organism w...

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...2009]

Nesse,R,D, 2000 , On the difficulty of defining disease, sourced from : http://www.health.sa.gov.au/PEHS/Youve-got-what/ways-disease-spread-06.pdf, Accessed [ 9/11/09]

Peterson, R. K. D. 1995. Insects, disease, and military history: the Napoleonic campaigns and historical perception. American Entomologist 41:147-160

Quinn, C, http://www.fungi4schools.org/Documentation/03World-of-Fungi/WF05_Fungi_and_Disease.pdf charlotte , Accessed [06/11/2009]

The way infectious diseases spread, [Department of health] 2005, Sourced from; http://www.health.sa.gov.au/PEHS/Youve-got-what/ways-disease-spread-06.pdf, Accessed [7/11/2009]

Wastewater Microbiology Series Published Online: 28 Jan 2005 Author(s): Michael H. Gerardi, Mel C. Zimmerma Series Editor(s): Michael H. GerardiPrint ISBN: 9780471206927 Online ISBN: 9780471710431 Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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