NURS 236: Principles of Epidemiology

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What is the primary focus of epidemiology?

Studying individual diseases in isolation

Focusing solely on medical intervention

Determining the exact etiology of diseases

Analyzing disease progression within a population (correct)

Which of the following best describes descriptive epidemiology?

Collecting data only from current cases of a disease

Understanding the cause of a disease through controlled experiments

Acquiring comprehensive data about a disease, often retrospectively (correct)

Focusing on theoretical frameworks without data collection

In analytical epidemiology, which method focuses on comparing groups with and without the disease?

Descriptive study

Experimental study

Case control study (correct)

Cohort study

What are notifiable diseases?

Infections that must be reported to a public health body Signup and view all the answers

Which term best describes the incidence of specific notifiable diseases?

Morbidity Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of experimental epidemiology?

To test hypotheses about disease transmission or treatment Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of analytical epidemiology?

Gathering all data about a disease without analysis Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of early epidemiologists like Snow and Nightingale?

They emphasized the role of public health practices and sanitation Signup and view all the answers

Which type of disease is classified as easily spread between hosts?

Contagious Signup and view all the answers

Which term describes infections that are always present in a specific environment?

Endemic Signup and view all the answers

What describes a disease that develops quickly and resolves rapidly?

Acute Signup and view all the answers

Which type of infection is limited to a small area of the body?

Local Signup and view all the answers

Which condition is identified as a secondary infection?

An infection following a primary illness Signup and view all the answers

What term refers to infections characterized by the host not showing symptoms?

Subclinical Signup and view all the answers

What is a key characteristic of a pandemic?

Involves global spread Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best defines the term 'incidence' in disease classification?

Rate of new infections Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following infections is an example of a chronic disease?

Tuberculosis Signup and view all the answers

Which of these examples best represents an opportunistic infection?

Clostridium tetani Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Course Information

Course title: NURS 236: Human-microbe interactions and epidemiology
Course part: Principles of epidemiology and disease

Learning Objectives

Explain the principles of the epidemiology of infectious diseases in humans.
List Koch's postulates.
Compare communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Distinguish terms for the occurrence and severity of disease.
Recognize the different impacts on the host.

Epidemiology

Study of disease progression within a population (includes when and where)
Similar to medical detectives, looking for non-medical factors that contribute to health changes
Considers etiology, risk factors (including infections, societal practices, control of reservoirs, vectors)
Early epidemiologists include Snow and Nightingale
- Snow: Cholera contaminated well
- Nightingale: Typhus in armies (food, sanitation, disease)

Epidemiology: Types

Descriptive: Collects all data about the disease being examined (mostly retrospective, after an event—e.g., cholera after the Haitian earthquake)
Analytical: Analyzes a disease to determine etiology—e.g., Case control & Cohort studies
- Case control: Compares groups with and without the disease to identify causes or risk factors
- Cohort: Groups with or without exposure to the disease
Experimental: Hypothesis testing; how disease spreads, factors influencing spread and treatment; compares control vs. experimental groups, controlling other variables.

Epidemiology: Terms

Notifiable diseases: Infections reported to public health bodies (http://dsol-smed.phac-aspc.gc.ca/dsol-smed/ndis/list-eng.php—Canada)
Morbidity: Incidence of specific notifiable diseases
Mortality: Deaths caused by notifiable diseases
(NOTE: additional terms will likely be covered later in the course, given the learning objectives)

Koch's Postulates

Microorganisms are isolated from a diseased/dead animal
Microorganisms are grown in a pure culture
Microorganisms are injected into a healthy host
Disease is reproduced in the host
Microorganisms are re-isolated from the host

Classifying Human Disease

Communicable: Spreads between hosts (humans or animals); contagious=easily communicable (e.g., chickenpox, measles, herpes, typhoid fever)
Non-communicable: Does not spread between hosts; normal microbiota that occasionally causes disease (opportunistic) OR microbes that normally live in the environment causing disease in humans (e.g., Clostridium tetani, Cryptococcus gattii, Naegleria fowleri)
Classifying Human Disease: Occurrences
- Incidence: New infections;
- Prevalence: New and existing infections (more relevant for long-term infections)
Classifying Human Disease: Frequency
- Sporadic: Only shows up occasionally (e.g., typhoid fever in the US)
- Endemic: Always present in an area –E.g. common cold, malaria in certain areas
- Epidemic: Many new infections in an area over a short period—e.g. seasonal influenza, MRSA in a hospital setting
- Pandemic: Epidemic disease at a global scale (e.g., AIDS, 1918 influenza)
Classifying Human Disease: Severity/Duration
- Acute: Develops quickly and resolves quickly—e.g., influenza
- Chronic/Persistent: Develops slowly and is longer lasting—e.g., infectious mononucleosis, TB, hepatitis B
- Latent: Inactive period before producing symptoms—e.g., Shingles
Classifying Human Disease: Host Involvement/Impact
- Local infections: Limited to a small area of the body—e.g., boils, pimples
- Systemic/generalized infections: Throughout the body—e.g., measles; spread by blood or lymph
- Primary infection: Initial infection
- Secondary infection: Infection that results from weakening of the immune system by a primary infection
- Subclinical/inapparent infection: Asymptomatic; carrier of an organism

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

This quiz focuses on the principles of epidemiology as they relate to infectious diseases in humans. You will explore key concepts such as Koch's postulates and the distinctions between communicable and non-communicable diseases. Delve into the historical contributions of early epidemiologists like Snow and Nightingale in understanding disease dynamics.