Chapter 14
Pathogen – microbe capable of causing disease
Pathology – study of pathogens
Pathologist – person that studies pathogens
Pathogenesis – steps or mechanisms involved in the development of a disease
Infection – colonized a body
Infectious – colonized a body then it causes disease
Bacteriocin - indigenous microbiota at the site of may produce antibacterial factors
Microbial Antagonism - one microbe or group of microbes wards off another
Four periods or phases in the course of an infection (4/5)
Exposure to pathogen
1. The incubation period – the time that elapses between arrival of the pathogen and the onset of
symptoms.
2. The prodromal period – the time during which the patient feels “out of sorts” but does not yet
experience actual symptoms of the disease
3. The period of illness – the time during which the patient experiences the typical symptoms
associated with that particular disease.
4. The convalescent period – the time during which the patient recovers
Ha convalescent period, it patient pwede makapag recover, mamaydaan disability, tas
death
Localized infection – may remain localized to one site
Systemic infection – when the infection spreads throughout the body (generalized infection)
Acute disease – rapid onset, usually followed by a relatively rapid recovery (measles, mumps, and
influenza)
Chronic diseases – insidious/slow onset and lasts a long time (tuberculosis, leprosy, syphilis)
Subacute diseases – more suddenly than chronic disease, but less suddenly than an acute disease
(subacute bacterial endocarditis)
Symptom of a disease – evidence of a disease that is experienced or perceive by the patient (something
that is subjective)
Ache or pain
Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
Blurred vision
Nausea
Dizziness
Itching
Chills
Sign of a disease – some type of objective evidence of disease
Palpitating patient
Physician might discover a lump or an enlarged liver or spleen
Latent infections – a disease that is lying dormant, not currently manifesting itself
Herpes virus infection
Cold sores
Genital herpes infection
Shingles
Stages of syphilis
Primary syphilis – hardened, painless chancre develops about 3 weeks after exposure
Secondary syphilis – chancre curls inward and a rash develops about 4 to 6 weeks after exposure
Latent syphilis – no symptoms; may last for weeks to years
Tertiary syphilis – cns, cardiovascular, and other symptoms occur 5 to 20 years after exposure
Primary infection – caused by one pathogen
Secondary infection – caused by a different pathogen
Steps in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases (6)
1. Entry – entry of pathogen to the body
2. Attachment – attachment of pathogen to some tissues of the body
3. Multiplication – pathogen may multiply in one location of the body, resulting in a localized
infection
4. Invasion or spread – invasion or spread of the pathogen
5. Evasion – evasion of host defense
6. Damage to the host tissue – the damage may be so extensive as to cause death to the patient
Virulent – pathogenic
Avirulent – nonpathogenic
Virulence - severity or harmfulness of a disease
Receptor and integrin - used to describe the molecule on the surface of a host cell that a particular
pathogen is able to recognize and attach to
Adhesin and ligand - used to describe the molecule on the surface of a pathogen that is able to
recognize and bind to a particular receptor
Corynebacterium diphtheriae – produces diphtheria toxin
Bacterial fimbriae – thin, hairlike, flexible projections composed primarily of an array of proteins called
pilin
Obligate intracelluar pathogens - must live within host cells to survive and multiply
Rickettsias and chlamydias are obligate intracellular pathogens
Facultative intracellular pathogens - pathogens that can live both within and outside host cells
Bacterial capsules/capsules – considered to be virulence factors because they serve an antiphagocytic
function
Flagella – considered virulence factors because they enable flagellated bacteria to invade aqueous areas
of the body
Exoenzymes – enzymes that enables them to evade host defense mechanisms, invade, or cause damage
to body tissues
Exoenzymes includes (7):
Necrotizing enzymes – enzymes that causes destruction of cells and tissues
Coagulase – virulence factor that causes clotting
Kinases – exoenzymes that dissolve clots
Hyaluronidase – breaking down of hyaluronic acid
Collagenase – breaking down of collagen
Hemolysins – enzymes that damage red blood cells
Lecithinase – exoenzymes that causes destruction of host cell membranes
Toxins – ability of pathogen to damage host tissues and cause disease
Two major categories of toxins:
Endotoxins – a very serious disease consisting of chills, fever, prostration, and the presence of
bacteria or their toxins in the bloodstream
Exotoxins – poisonous proteins that is secreted by a variety of pathogens (neurotoxins,
enterotoxins, cytotoxins, exfoliative toxin, erythrogenic toxin, and diphtheria toxin)
Immunology – study of the immune system
Antigens – foreign molecules that evoke and immune response-often stimulating the immune system to
produce antibodies
Camouflage and molecular mimicry – pathogens cover their surface antigens with host proteins, so the
pathogens will not be recognized as being foreign
Destruction of antibodies – H. influenzae, N. gonorrhoeae, and streptococci, produce and enzyme
(immunoglobulin A [IgA] protease) that destroys IgA antibodies
