Information about Pathogen
A pathogen or infectious agent is a biological agent that causes disease or illness to its host.[1] The term is most often used for agents that disrupt the normal physiology of a multicellular animal or plant. However, pathogens can infect unicellular organisms from all of the biological kingdoms. The term pathogen is derived from the Greek παθογένεια, "that which produces suffering."
There are several substrates and pathways where by pathogens can invade a host; the principal pathways have different episodic time frames, but soil contamination has the longest or most persistent potential for harboring a pathogen.
The body contains many natural defenses against some of the common pathogens (such as Pneumocystis) in the form of the human immune system and by some "helpful" bacteria present in the human body's normal flora. However, if the immune system or "good" bacteria is damaged in any way (such as by chemotherapy, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or antibiotics being taken to kill other pathogens), pathogenic bacteria that were being held at bay can proliferate and cause harm to the host. Such cases are called opportunistic infections.
Some pathogens (such as the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which may have caused the Black Plague, and the Variola and Malaria viruses) have been responsible for massive numbers of casualties and have had numerous effects on afflicted groups. Of particular note in modern times is HIV, which is known to have infected several million humans globally, along with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Influenza virus. Today, while many medical advances have been made to safeguard against infection by pathogens, through the use of vaccination, antibiotics, and fungicide, pathogens continue to threaten human life. Social advances such as food safety, hygiene, and water treatment have reduced the threat from some pathogens.
One of the primary pathways by which food or water become contaminated is from the release of untreated sewage into a drinking water supply or onto cropland, with the result that people who eat or drink contaminated sources become infected. In developing countries most sewage is discharged into the environment or on cropland as of 2007; even in developed countries there are periodic system failures resulting in a sanitary sewer overflow. This is the typical mode of transmission for the infectious agents of (at least):
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 B20-B24
ICD-9 042 - 044
..... Click the link for more information.
The body contains many natural defenses against some of the common pathogens (such as Pneumocystis) in the form of the human immune system and by some "helpful" bacteria present in the human body's normal flora. However, if the immune system or "good" bacteria is damaged in any way (such as by chemotherapy, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or antibiotics being taken to kill other pathogens), pathogenic bacteria that were being held at bay can proliferate and cause harm to the host. Such cases are called opportunistic infections.
Some pathogens (such as the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which may have caused the Black Plague, and the Variola and Malaria viruses) have been responsible for massive numbers of casualties and have had numerous effects on afflicted groups. Of particular note in modern times is HIV, which is known to have infected several million humans globally, along with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Influenza virus. Today, while many medical advances have been made to safeguard against infection by pathogens, through the use of vaccination, antibiotics, and fungicide, pathogens continue to threaten human life. Social advances such as food safety, hygiene, and water treatment have reduced the threat from some pathogens.
Types of pathogens
Below is a listing of different types of notable pathogens as categorized by their structural characteristics, and some of their known effects on infected hosts.Transmission of pathogens
One of the primary pathways by which food or water become contaminated is from the release of untreated sewage into a drinking water supply or onto cropland, with the result that people who eat or drink contaminated sources become infected. In developing countries most sewage is discharged into the environment or on cropland as of 2007; even in developed countries there are periodic system failures resulting in a sanitary sewer overflow. This is the typical mode of transmission for the infectious agents of (at least):
Transmission to vascular plants
In the case of terrestrial vascular plants, pathogenic infection can occur by contact with foliage, and also from root uptake of soil pathogens. The latter pathway explains why some plant families such as orchids are more disease resistant, since they rely upon fungal hyphae to supply nutrients rather than root structures, which have larger radii for conveying certain pathogens.See also
External links
- Globally Important Human Pathogens List (pdf file)
- New Research to locate passengers releasing pathogens inside airline cabins.
- Information on enterobacterial pathogens can be found at the NIAID Enteropathogen Resource Integration Center (ERIC)
References
A biological agent is an infectious disease or toxin that can be used in bioterrorism or biological warfare. There are more than 1200 different kinds of biological agents.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions. In human beings, "disease" is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes discomfort, dysfunction, distress, social problems, and/or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Illness (sometimes referred to as ill-health) can be defined as a state of poor health.
..... Click the link for more information.
Introduction
The mode of being healthy includes, as defined by the World Health Organization, " [........ Click the link for more information.
In biology, a host is an organism that harbors a virus or parasite, or a mutual or commensal symbiont, typically providing nourishment and shelter. In botany, a host plant is one that supplies food resources and substrate for certain insects or other fauna.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Physiology (from Greek: φυσις, physis, “nature, origin”; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Multicellular organisms are organisms consisting of more than one cell, and having differentiated cells that perform specialized functions. Most life that can be seen with the naked eye is multicellular, as are all members of the kingdoms Plantae and Animalia (except for
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
microorganism (also spelled as microrganism) or microbe is an organism that is microscopic (too small to be seen by the human eye). The study of microorganisms is called microbiology.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
kingdom or regnum is a taxon in either (historically) the highest rank, or (in the new three-domain system) the rank below domain. Each kingdom is divided into smaller groups called phyla (or in some contexts these are called "divisions").
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Greek}}}
Writing system: Greek alphabet
Official status
Official language of: Greece
Cyprus
European Union
recognised as minority language in parts of:
European Union
Italy
Turkey
Regulated by:
..... Click the link for more information.
Writing system: Greek alphabet
Official status
Official language of: Greece
Cyprus
European Union
recognised as minority language in parts of:
European Union
Italy
Turkey
Regulated by:
..... Click the link for more information.
Soil contamination is the presence of man-made chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. This type of contamination typically arises from the rupture of underground storage tanks, application of pesticides, percolation of contaminated surface water to
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is a form of pneumonia caused by the yeast-like fungal Pneumocystis jirovecii (Jirovecii is pronounced "yee row vet zee eye"). The causal agent was originally described as a protozoan and spelled P.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
immune system is a collection of mechanisms within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own healthy
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Bacteria
Phyla
Actinobacteria
Aquificae
Chlamydiae
Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi
Chloroflexi
Chrysiogenetes
Cyanobacteria
Deferribacteres
Deinococcus-Thermus
Dictyoglomi
Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria
Firmicutes
Fusobacteria
..... Click the link for more information.
Phyla
Actinobacteria
Aquificae
Chlamydiae
Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi
Chloroflexi
Chrysiogenetes
Cyanobacteria
Deferribacteres
Deinococcus-Thermus
Dictyoglomi
Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria
Firmicutes
Fusobacteria
..... Click the link for more information.
normal flora.
It is estimated that 500 to 100000 different species of bacteria live in the human body (Sears, 2005). Bacterial cells are much smaller than human cells, and there are about ten times as many bacteria as human cells in the body (1000 trillion (1015
..... Click the link for more information.
It is estimated that 500 to 100000 different species of bacteria live in the human body (Sears, 2005). Bacterial cells are much smaller than human cells, and there are about ten times as many bacteria as human cells in the body (1000 trillion (1015
..... Click the link for more information.
Chemotherapy is the use of chemical substances to treat disease. In its modern-day use, it refers to cytotoxic drugs used to treat cancer or the combination of these drugs into a standardized treatment regimen.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
- Human immunodeficiency virus 1
- Human immunodeficiency virus 2
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 B20-B24
ICD-9 042 - 044
..... Click the link for more information.
antibiotic is a chemotherapeutic agent that inhibits or abolishes the growth of micro-organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, or protozoans. The term originally referred to any agent with biological activity against living organisms; however, "antibiotic" now is used to refer to
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Opportunistic infections are infections caused by organisms that usually do not cause disease in a person with a healthy immune system, but can affect people with a poorly functioning or suppressed immune system. They need an "opportunity" to infect a person.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Y. pestis
Binomial name
Yersinia pestis
(Lehmann & Neumann, 1896)
van Loghem 1944
Yersinia pestis
..... Click the link for more information.
Binomial name
Yersinia pestis
(Lehmann & Neumann, 1896)
van Loghem 1944
Yersinia pestis
..... Click the link for more information.
Black Death, or The Black Plague, was one of the most deadly pandemics in human history. It began in South-western or Central Asia and spread to Europe by the late 1340s.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Smallpox
Classification & external resources
A child infected with smallpox
ICD-10 B 03.
ICD-9 050
DiseasesDB 12219
MedlinePlus 001356
eMedicine emerg/885
MeSH D012899
Main characteristics
..... Click the link for more information.
Classification & external resources
A child infected with smallpox
ICD-10 B 03.
ICD-9 050
DiseasesDB 12219
MedlinePlus 001356
eMedicine emerg/885
MeSH D012899
Main characteristics
..... Click the link for more information.
Malaria
Classification & external resources
Plasmodium falciparum ring-forms and gametocytes in human blood.
ICD-10 B 50.
ICD-9 084
OMIM 248310
DiseasesDB 7728
MedlinePlus 000621
eMedicine med/1385 emerg/305 ped/1357
..... Click the link for more information.
Classification & external resources
Plasmodium falciparum ring-forms and gametocytes in human blood.
ICD-10 B 50.
ICD-9 084
OMIM 248310
DiseasesDB 7728
MedlinePlus 000621
eMedicine med/1385 emerg/305 ped/1357
..... Click the link for more information.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 U 04.
ICD-9 079.82
DiseasesDB 32835
MedlinePlus 007192
eMedicine med/3662
MeSH D045169
Severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS
..... Click the link for more information.
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 U 04.
ICD-9 079.82
DiseasesDB 32835
MedlinePlus 007192
eMedicine med/3662
MeSH D045169
Severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS
..... Click the link for more information.
Influenza
Classification & external resources
TEM of negatively stained influenza virons, magnified approximately 70,000 times
ICD-10 J 10. , J 11.
ICD-9 487
DiseasesDB 6791
MedlinePlus 000080
eMedicine med/1170 ped/3006
MeSH
..... Click the link for more information.
Classification & external resources
TEM of negatively stained influenza virons, magnified approximately 70,000 times
ICD-10 J 10. , J 11.
ICD-9 487
DiseasesDB 6791
MedlinePlus 000080
eMedicine med/1170 ped/3006
MeSH
..... Click the link for more information.
Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to produce immunity to a disease. This will prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by a pathogen. The material administrated can either be live, but weakened forms of pathogens such as bacteria or viruses,
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
antibiotic is a chemotherapeutic agent that inhibits or abolishes the growth of micro-organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, or protozoans. The term originally referred to any agent with biological activity against living organisms; however, "antibiotic" now is used to refer to
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Fungicides are chemical compounds used to prevent the spread of fungi or plants in gardens and crops, which can cause serious damage resulting in loss of yield and thus profit.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Food safety is a scientific discipline describing the handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent Foodborne illness.
..... Click the link for more information.
Domestic foodborne illness prevention
At home, prevention of Foodborne illness mainly consists of:..... Click the link for more information.
Hygiene refers to practices associated with ensuring good health and cleanliness. The scientific term "hygiene" refers to the maintenance of health and healthy living. The term appears in phrases such as personal hygiene, domestic hygiene, dental hygiene, and occupational hygiene
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Water treatment describes a process used to make water more acceptable for a desired end-use. These can include use as drinking water, industrial processes, medical and many other uses.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Herod_Archelaus
