(e)+pathogens+-+specific+examples


 * (11) Choose one human bacterial disease and use it to answer the following questions. **

One human bacterial disease : Diphtheria a) Describe the cause of the disease b) How is this disease transmitted? c) What effects does it have on the human body? []
 * Toxin-producing strains of the gram-positive bacillus Corynebacterium diphtheriae
 * Corynebacterium uclerans also causes diphtheria
 * Diphtheria is transmitted to close contacts via airborne respiratory droplets or by direct contact with nasopharyngeal secretions or skin lesions.
 * Sore throat, fever, malaise, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing or breathing
 * (12) AIDS (as an example) **
 * (a) Cause? **

It is not a disease but rather a collection of symptoms and or **opportunitistic diseases.**
Cause:
 * Opportunistic diseases are actually an entire group of diseases. By definition, an opportunistic disease is a disease that will most often make you sick given the "opportunity" of a damaged or weakened immune system (weakened because of AIDS, various forms of cancer or other causes).
 * === AIDS is caused by the weakening of the immune system by the HIV virus. ===
 * === A person who is diagnosed with AIDS when he/she shows one or more of then "indicator illnesses" or based on the results of a blood test in which the number of certain lymphocytes are counted. ===

Transmission of the HIV virus can take place via:
 * (b) Transmission? Andrea **
 * blood
 * semen
 * vaginal secretions
 * breast milk

Blood and semen contain the highest concentration of the

HIV virus.

Most common transmission of the HIV virus takes place during:


 * Unprotected sexual contact - HIV is transmitted through semen/vaginal secretions


 * Sharing injection needles - HIV is transmitted through the blood stream


 * Mother to child during birth or breastfeeding

The immune system consists of T-cells that protects the body from diseases, however the T-cells replicate fast and they have CD-4 receptor sited to which the HIV virus can attach onto. Once this happens the the T-cells begin to replicate fast without the ability to fight off diseases. Eventually, the T-cells die out and the virus takes over the body completely, but the immune system no longer works which allows bacterias and viruses to cause damage. Due to destruction of T-lymphocytes, T cells are not stimulated as effectively during the AIDS stage of HIV infection, making AID patients very susceptible to more viruses. It results in the virus being produced for a longer period, increasing proliferation of the virus, and accelerating the development of the disease. "The immense nature of this epidemic has led to mass fear and hysteria and many misconceptions of the virus. This has led to stigma and discrimination of those infected around the world as people seek to explain what they do not understand. Unfortunately, this only hinders the fight against the global pandemic and actually makes populations more vulnerable to infection. In order to effectively combat HIV/AIDS around the world, stigma and discrimination must be adequately addressed." Further information on stigma and discrimination of AIDS: <[]>
 * (c) Effect on the human immune system **
 * (d) Infection with HIV results in the progressive destruction of T-lymphocytes. Explain why this leads to an increasing number of opportunistic infections in AIDS sufferers **
 * (e) Social implications? **
 * People living with HIV/AIDS are often believed to deserve their status as a result of something they did wrong. People can remove themselves from any 'risk' and not confront the issue for the problem that it is by laying blame on others who are 'different'.
 * Stigma and discrimination is caused by a lack of understanding of AIDS, how it spreads, the lack of access to treat it, media coverage on how it has no cure, while there are already existing prejudices related to sexuality, disease, drug use, and death.
 * Discrimination comes up when stigmatization is acted upon and can take many forms:
 * Lack of access to equal health care
 * Denial of equal opportunities for employment
 * Denial of education to HIV positive children
 * Detention of HIV infected patients