Medical microbiology Medical microbiology is a

Transcript:Medical microbiology Medical microbiology is a:
Medical microbiology Medical microbiology is a branch of medicine concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. There are four kinds of microorganisms that cause infectious disease; bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses. A medical microbiologist studies the characteristics of pathogens, their modes of transmission, mechanisms of infection and growth, Using this information a treatment can be devised. Not all medical microbiologists study microbial pathology; some study common, non-pathogenic species to determine whether their properties can be used to develop antibiotics or other treatment methods. Medical microbiological terms Pathogen : An organism that causes disease Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites that are not normally present within the body. Symptoms : subjective evidence of disease or physical disturbance Antibiotic : A chemical that kills or inhibits the growth of bacteria and is used to treat bacterial infections. Vaccine :A special type of medicine that is given to both people and animals to artificially increase immunity to a particular disease and to prevent an infectious disease from developing's. Type of pathogen Types of pathogen Obligate pathogens (primary) These organisms have to cause disease in human being in order to continue to survive and propagate . for example Mycobacterium tuberculosis ,viruses Which Capable of establishing infection and causing disease (symptomatic infections) in previously healthy individuals with intact immunological defences (immunocompetent). Immunocompetent are Able to develop an immune response. An immunocompetent body is able to recognize antigens and act against them. Immuno- competent is the opposite of immunodeficient Types of pathogen Accidental or incidental pathogens (conditional) Causing disease confers no obvious biological advantage on the organism ex : Many bacterial pathogens Their natural habitat in humans but cause disease in only small minority Have a habitat (or reservoir) in nature but if they encounter a susceptible host in a particular way, infection may occur. The reservoir typically harbors the infectious agent without injury to itself and serves as a source from which other individuals can be infected Types of pathogen Opportunistic pathogens Rarely cause disease in individuals with intact immunological defences (cause infection when the host defences are impaired or compromised - immunocompromised host). Ex: normal flora immunocompromised are Having a weakened immune system. Patients who are immunocompromised have a reduced ability to fight infections and other diseases. This may be caused by certain diseases or conditions, such as AIDS, cancer, diabetes, malnutrition, and certain