Pathogen Table Essay

Submitted By redboyned
Words: 428
Pages: 2

Bacteria
Viruses
Fungi
Protozoans
Prions
Description
Single celled prokaryotic organisms
Come in different shapes (bacilli, cocci and spirilla)
Can cluster together in pairs, chains or clusters
Very small (100nm wide)
Seen with an EM
They are not cells. They are nuclear material (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat
Eukaryotic organisms
Cell walls but no chloroplasts
Single celled eukaryotic organisms
Brain proteins that have been altered from their normal shape to an abnormal shape
How it causes disease
Reproduce quickly
Damage cells directly
Produce toxins which damage cells
Invade living cells, cause cells to reproduce the virus, kill the host cell to release new viruses
Opportunistic (usually people are not prone to fungal infection unless immunocompromised)
Invade, multiply and destroy tissue
Act as parasites living off human cells
Cause brain damage as abnormal proteins clump together
Cause other proteins to lose their normal shape which stops them from performing their normal function
Examples of diseases
Cholera
Food poisoning
Tonsillitis
Tuberculosis
Influenza
AIDS
Herpes
Polio
Thrush
Tinea
Ringworm
Malaria
Toxoplasmosis
Giardia
CJD
Kuru
FFI
Treatment
Antibiotics
Very difficult to treat
Treat symptoms
Anti-viral medications
Anti-fungal medications (creams, lotions, powders)
Anti-parasitic medications
Very for medications
No cure
Medications to slow the progress of the disease
The Pathogens

Bacteria
Viruses
Fungi
Protozoans
Prions
Description
Bacteria are single celled microbes. The cell structure is simpler than that of other organisms as there is no nucleus or membrane bound organelles.

Fungi can be single celled or very complex multicellular organisms. They are found in just about any habitat but most live on the land, mainly in soil or on plant material rather than in sea or