Infection - Key terms



ANTIBIOTIC:

A substance produced by or derived from a microorganism, which in diluted form is capable of killing or at least inhibiting the action of another microor ganism. Antibiotics are not usually effective against viruses.

ANTISEPSIS:

The practice of inhibiting the growth and multiplication of microorganisms, generally by ensuring the cleanliness of the environment.

BACTERIOLOGY:

An area of the bio logical sciences concerned with bacteria, including their importance in medicine, industry, and agriculture.

DNA:

Deoxyribonucleic acid, a molecule in all cells, and many viruses, containing genetic codes for inheritance.

ENDOGENOUS:

A term for an infection that occurs when the body's resistance is lowered. Compare with exogenous.

EPIDEMIC:

Affecting or potentially affecting a large proportion of a popula tion ( adj. ) or an epidemic disease ( n. )

EPIDEMIOLOGY:

An area of the medical sciences devoted to the study of disease, including its incidence, distribution, and control within a population.

ETIOLOGY:

A branch of medical study concerned with the causes and origins of disease; also, a general term referring to all the causes of a particular disease or condition.

EXOGENOUS:

A term for an infection that originates outside the body. Compare with endogenous.

GENE:

A unit of information about a particular heritable (capable of being inherited) trait that is passed from parent to offspring, stored in DNA molecules called chromosomes.

GERM THEORY:

A theory in medicine, widely accepted today, that infections, contagious diseases, and other conditions are caused by the actions of microorganisms.

IMMUNITY:

The condition of being able to resist a particular disease, particularly through means that prevent the growth and development of pathogens or counteract their effects.

IMMUNOLOGY:

The study of the immune system, immunity, and immune responses.

INFECTION:

A state or condition in which parasitic organisms attach them selves to the body or to the inside of the body of another organism, producing contamination and disease in the host.

INOCULATION:

The prevention of a disease by the introduction to the body, in small quantities, of the virus or other microorganism that causes the disease.

MUTATION:

Alteration in the physical structure of an organism's DNA, resulting in a genetic change that can be inherited.

PANDEMIC:

Affecting an extremely high proportion of a population over a wide geographic area ( adj. ) or a disease of pandemic proportions ( n. )

PARASITE:

A general term for any organism that depends on another organism for support, which it receives at the expense of the other organism.

PARASITOLOGY:

A biological discipline devoted to the study of parasites, primarily those among the animal and protist kingdoms. Parasitic bacteria, fungi, and viruses usually are studied within the context of infectious diseases.

PATHOGEN:

A disease-carrying para site, typically a microorganism.

PATHOLOGY:

The study of the essential nature of diseases.

PUBLIC HEALTH:

A set of policies and methods for protecting and improving the health of a community through efforts that include disease prevention, health education, and sanitation.

RNA:

Ribonucleic acid, the molecule translated from DNA in the cell nucleus, the control center of the cell, that directs protein synthesis in the cytoplasm, or the space between cells.

VACCINE:

A preparation containing microorganisms, usually either weakened or dead, which is administered as a means of increasing immunity to the disease caused by those microorganisms.

VECTOR:

An organism, such as an insect, that transmits a pathogen to the body of a host.

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