Infection 1 - Intro

Question 1

What is an infection?

Answer 1

Invasion of a host’s tissues by micro organisms. Also any diseases caused by microbial multiplication, toxins, or the host response

Question 2

What are microbiota?

Answer 2

• microorganisms carried on skin and mucosal surfaces
• normally harmless or even beneficial
• transfer to other sites can be harmful

Question 3

What is ‘commensalism’?

Answer 3

A relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits from the other without affecting it.

Question 4

Give some examples of an infection being transmitted from the environment to a patient

Answer 4

• ingestion of contaminated food/water
• inhalation of air contaminated by several organisms
• contact with contaminated surfaces

Question 5

What is the difference between horizontal and vertical transmission?

Answer 5

Horizontal is when the infection travels from infected person to infected person, eg. via inhalation of droplets.
Vertical is when the infection travels from mother to child, before or at birth

Question 6

What are the stages of infection?

Answer 6

Exposure -> adherence -> invasion -> multiplication -> dissemination