Fighting diseases

Fighting diseases

1. types of pathogen

   • bacteria
     • very small cells
     • make you feel ill by
       • damaging cells
       • producing toxins
   • viruses
     • not cells
     • replicate by invading your cells
       • use your cells to copy then burst
     • cell damage makes you feel ill

2. the bodies defence system

   • skin, hair, mucus
   • platelets
     • clot blood in wounds
   • produce white blood cells
     • engulf foreign cells and digest them
     • produce antibodies
       • kill invading cells
       • produced rapidly
       • if reinfected the antibodies will recognise the pathogen and produce antibodies quicker
     • produce antitoxins
       • counteract the toxins produced by bacteria

3. vaccinations

   • protects from future infections
     • weakened/dead or inactive microorganisms
   • pros
     • helps control infectious diseases
     • big outbreaks can be prevented
   • cons
     • don't always work
     • bad reaction

4. drugs

   • pain killers
     • relieve symptoms
   • antibiotics
     • resistance
     • kill/prevent growth of bacteria
     • don't kill viruses
   • you can grow microorganisims

5. past & future

   • semmelsweis
     • cut deaths
     • antiseptic on wards
   • resistance
   • dangers
     • bacteria
       • mutates
       • new strands
       • rapid spread of new strain
     • viruses
       • mutation of viruses
       • spread fast
       • pandemic could kill