NURS 236: Human-Microbe Interactions Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is a primary reservoir group for disease-causing microorganisms?

Microorganisms themselves

Only animals

Nonliving sources (correct)

Only humans

Which of the following is an example of a zoonotic disease?

Measles

Influenza (correct)

Streptococcal infections

Histoplasmosis

How can diseases be spread from animals to humans?

Direct contact or contaminated resources (correct)

Only through bites

Only through human contact

Only through airborne particles

Which of the following organisms can often exist as symptomatic or asymptomatic carriers in humans?

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a nonliving reservoir for infections?

Infected pets Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes an emerging infectious disease?

It either appears for the first time or changes to increase its incidence. Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is associated with zoonotic diseases?

New diseases that humans have never been exposed to before. Signup and view all the answers

How can climate change influence emerging infectious diseases?

By leading to the movement of microorganisms, reservoirs, or vectors to new areas. Signup and view all the answers

What is one genetic factor that can contribute to the emergence of infectious diseases?

Acquisition of antibiotic resistance. Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of how international travel can influence emerging infectious diseases?

By introducing diseases, like smallpox, to new geographical areas. Signup and view all the answers

What is a predisposing factor for disease?

Age and gender Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the incubation period of a disease?

Initial infection to first symptoms Signup and view all the answers

During which stage of disease are symptoms at their most severe?

Period of illness Signup and view all the answers

What occurs during the period of decline in a disease?

Symptoms decrease and the risk of secondary infections increases Signup and view all the answers

Which factor would NOT qualify as a predisposing factor for disease?

Availability of vaccines Signup and view all the answers

In which period might a host experience mild, early symptoms?

Prodromal period Signup and view all the answers

What does the period of convalescence represent in the stages of disease?

Return to health and homeostasis Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements is true regarding the stages of disease?

Staging may vary based on the microorganism and its virulence Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary mode of transmission for diseases spread via droplets?

Aerosolized liquids Signup and view all the answers

Which type of transmission involves a nonliving object transferring pathogens from the source to the host?

Indirect contact Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes vector transmission of disease?

Insects carrying microorganisms between hosts Signup and view all the answers

What is the definition of etiology in the context of diseases?

The cause of a particular disease Signup and view all the answers

In what type of environment are nosocomial infections most likely to increase in frequency?

Hospital settings Signup and view all the answers

Which microorganisms are often associated with nosocomial infections?

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary prevention method for indirect contact transmission in healthcare settings?

Maintaining a clean environment Signup and view all the answers

What type of microbiota is typically transient and does not remain long-term in the human body?

Transient microbiota Signup and view all the answers

Which form of transmission is described as disease spread through food due to poor cooking or storage practices?

Vehicle transmission Signup and view all the answers

The study of disease is referred to as what?

Pathology Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes a biological vector?

Partakes in the life cycle of the microorganism Signup and view all the answers

What transmission method is crucial for preventing influenza spread?

Aerosol management Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a step in the chain of transmission for nosocomial infections?

Environmental cleaning protocols Signup and view all the answers

Opportunistic pathogens may normally reside in the body as which type of microbiota?

Normal microbiota Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Human-Microbe Interactions: Principles of Disease and Transmission

This course, NURS 236, focuses on human-microbe interactions and disease transmission.
Learning objectives include recalling predisposing factors for disease, explaining disease stages, exploring infection reservoirs, contrasting transmission methods, and providing examples.

Patterns of Disease

Predisposing Factors: Any factor that increases a host's susceptibility to infection or alters disease progression.
- Examples include gender (UTIs, pneumonia), genetics (sickle-cell anemia, malaria), climate (MO survival), environment, lifestyle, and occupation.
Stages of Disease:
- Incubation period: Initial infection to first symptoms, early, mild symptoms; might be absent in some diseases.
- Prodromal period: Early, mild symptoms; relatively short; may not be present in all diseases (due to virulence).
- Period of illness: Most severe signs and symptoms; major immune response occurs.
- Period of decline: Symptoms decrease, susceptibility to secondary infections increases.
- Period of convalescence: Return to normal/homeostasis. -Stages can link to stages of microbial growth. Different microbes may have varying periods for each phase.

Spread of Infection: Reservoirs

Reservoirs: Source of disease-causing microbes.
3 major groups:
- Humans:
  - Symptomatic individuals.
  - Asymptomatic individuals (e.g., carriers like hospital staff with MRSA).
  - During incubation/convalescence stages of disease (e.g., STIs, streptococcal infections).
- Animals:
  - Zoonoses: Diseases transferred from animals to humans.
  - Spread through many routes (direct contact with animal/feces, contaminated water/food/products/hides).
  - Can be transmitted by arthropods (insect vectors).
- Nonliving:
  - Environmental sources of infection.
  - Soil: Fungi, nematodes, Clostridium tetani, C. botulinum.
  - Water: Protozoa, some helminths.
  - Food: Food poisoning (e.g., salmonellosis).

Spread of Infection: Transmission

3 Modes: Contact, vehicles, vectors.
Contact:
- Direct Contact: Physical contact (touching, kissing) between sources and hosts. Common cold, influenza, Hepatitis A, measles, STIs. Prevention via protective equipment.
- Indirect Contact: Physical contact through nonliving objects (e.g., HIV or hepatitis B in contaminated syringes, organisms living in a hospital environment). Prevention by maintaining a clean environment.
- Droplet: Contact with aerosolized liquid containing microbes (<1 m). Influenza, whooping cough. Prevention via good hygiene.
Vehicle Transmission: Diseases transmitted by a medium.
- Water: Fecal contamination (cholera, leptospirosis)
- Food: Poor cooking/storage (food poisoning, tapeworms).
- Air: Similar to droplet (larger distances); airborne microbes/dust (tuberculosis, fungal infections).
Vectors: Microbes transmitted between hosts by another organism (typically an insect).
- Mechanical: Passive transport by insect from vector's body to food (typhoid fever).
- Biological: More active and complex; some phase of microbial life cycle occurs in a vector (malaria by Plasmodium species).

Nosocomial Infections

Infections acquired during a hospital or other healthcare-associated visit.
Increasing frequency.
Interaction between 3 factors (microorganisms in the hospital environment, compromised host, chain of transmission).
- Microorganisms: Common in hospital environment. Resistance to cleaning agents and antibiotics.
- Compromised Host: Many body structures prevent illness; these structures can be broken (open wounds, skin), or the immune system can be weakened.
- Chain of Transmission: Mostly through direct and indirect contact between hospital staff and patients, or between patients, or shared equipment.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Diseases that either appear for the first time or change in a manner that increases incidence.
Factors Influencing Emergence:
- New Diseases: (e.g., HIV). Zoonotic diseases that newly infect humans (e.g., West Nile virus, smallpox).
- Genetic: Acquisition of new traits (e.g., antibiotic resistance, toxin production).
- Environmental: Movement of microbes, reservoirs, or vectors to new areas, climate change altering disease patterns.

Important terms

Pathology: Scientific study of disease.
Etiology: Cause of a particular disease, often a specific microorganism.
Pathogenesis: Steps in the progression of a disease.
Infection: Pathogenic microorganism enters a host and begins to grow.
Disease: Change in a host's state of health associated with infection.

Many MOs on the human body

Microbiomes impacted by many factors.
Differences between Normal and Transient Microbiota:
- Normal: Normally found on the body.
- Transient: Live on/in the body for a period of time and then leave.
- Differences exist among individuals.

Example Human-Microbe Relationships

Relationships: Commensalism (one benefits, other unaffected); mutualism (both benefit); parasitism (one benefits at expense of other) are affected by conditions and potentially by opportunistic pathogens like Candida albicans and Clostridium difficile.

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Description

This quiz covers the principles of disease and transmission in the context of human-microbe interactions. Students will explore predisposing factors, stages of disease, and methods of disease transmission. Prepare to demonstrate your understanding of how various factors influence infection susceptibility.