Symptoms And Symptoms Of Infectious Diseases - 1680 Words

1.1 Explain the term infectious disease Infectious disease are diseases or illnesses caused by micro-organisms that become harmful in the body, these micro-organisms are called pathogens. Pathogens are any organism that cause disease, these can include bacteria, viruses and fungi. Not all the micro-organisms mentioned above are harmful to the body, although, under certain conditions such as an immunocompromised individual or the age of a person, can produce an onset of signs and symptoms of an infectious disease. Infectious diseases are communicable, which means they can be spread from person to person, either through direct contact or through bodily fluids. Infectious diseases can also be spread infected vectors which are inhaled or†¦show more content†¦Bacteria are unicellular organisms that replicate and multiply by mitosis. Fungal infections occur due to fungi including organisms such as dermatophytes and yeast, which are made up of structures called hyphae. On the other hand, viruses are parasites and therefo re require a host cell to replicate and spread. Distinctions in the micro-organisms structure can be pivotal to not only the function of the pathogen within the body, but also the means by which it may spread. An example of a bacterial infection is Tuberculosis, which is a disease of the lungs caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is a contagious disease which has various phases to it; each stage gaining in its severity. An infected person with active TB will show symptoms of shortness of breath, fatigue, fever, weight loss and possible signs of coughing up blood. The bacteria is spread when a person with an active infection in their lungs coughs or sneezes and another person inhales the air containing the bacteria. The bacteria go on to infect white blood cells called phagoyctes. These may become affected, however, the body s immune response will seal off the infected cells in the lungs. The bacteria can become dormant inside the tubercules of the lung and therefore the infected person may not show any symptoms or signs as the infection is