Punzalan, Nicole D.

BSED 3 – Science

EPIDEMIOLOGY

1. Vocabulary (define the following):

1]  Pathology – A branch of medical science that involves the study and diagnosis of
disease through the examination of surgically removed organs, tissues (biopsy
samples), bodily fluids, and in some cases the whole body (autopsy).

2]  Etiology - Study of cause or origin.

3]  Infection - The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria,

viruses, and parasites that are not normally present within the body.

4]  Disease - A disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially

one that produces specific signs or symptoms or that affects a specific location and is
not simply a direct result of physical injury.

5]  Resident flora - The microorganisms that usually occupy a particular body site.

6]  Transient microbiota - Microorganisms that are not found on or in the body
normally. May be present for several days, weeks or months and then disappear.

7]  Symptom - subjective evidence of disease or physical disturbance broadly:

something that indicates the presence of bodily disorder.

8]  Sign - an indication of some living thing's presence. Medical sign, in medicine:

objective evidence of the presence of a disease or disorder, as opposed to a symptom,
which is subjective.

9]  Syndrome - A recognizable complex of symptoms and physical findings which

indicate a specific condition for which a direct cause is not necessarily understood. 

10]  Incidence - The occurrence, rate, or frequency of a disease, crime, or something

else undesirable.

11]  Prevalence - The fact or condition of being prevalent; commonness.

12]  Sporadic disease - Diseases that are seen only occasionally, and usually without
geographic concentration.

13]  Endemic disease - A disease that is always present in a certain population or

region.

14]  Epidemic - Belonging or native to a particular people or country.

 15]  Pandemic - A widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a
particular time.

2. Explain the difference between normal, transient, and opportunistic microbes.

 Normal Microbes - Microorganisms that establish more or less permanent residence

but do not produce disease under normal conditions.

 Transient Microbes - Microorganisms that are present for several days, weeks, or
months and then disappear but do not produce disease under normal conditions.

 Opportunistic Microbes - Typically non-pathogenic microorganisms that act as a

pathogen in certain circumstances. 

3. Compare commensalism, mutualism, and parasitism, and give an example of each.

 Mutualism - A relationship between two species in which both species benefit.

Example: Pollination by insects.

 Commensalism - A relationship between two organisms of different species where one

benefits and the other is neither harmed nor benefited.

Example: Climbers taking the support of trees to grow.

 Parasitism - A relationship between two organisms of different species where one

benefits and the other is harmed.

Example: Cuscuta and the host plant.

4.  List and explain Koch’s postulates.

 1) The same pathogen must be present in every case of the disease.

 2) The pathogen must be isolated from the disease host and grow in a pure culture.

 3) The pathogen from the pure culture must cause the disease when it is inoculated into
a healthy, susceptible laboratory animal.

 4) The pathogen must be isolated from the inoculated animal and must be shown to be
the original organism
5.  Differentiate a communicable from a noncommunicable disease.

 A communicable disease spreads from one host to another. A noncommunicable

disease is not transmitted from one host to another.

6.  Categorize diseases according to frequency of occurrence.

 Incidence: fraction of a population that contracts a disease during a specific time.

 Prevalence: fraction of a population having a specific disease at a given time.

 Sporadic disease: disease that occurs occasionally in a population.

 Endemic disease: disease constantly present in a population.

 Epidemic disease: disease acquired by many hosts in a given area in a short time.

 Pandemic disease: worldwide epidemic.

7.  Define herd immunity.

 occurs when a high percentage of the community is immune to a disease (through

vaccination and/or prior illness), making the spread of this disease from person to
person unlikely.

8.  Review the common disease pattern: incubation period, prodromal period, periods of
illness, decline, and convalescence.

 Incubation Period - Occurs in an acute disease after the initial entry of the pathogen
into the host (patient). It is during this time the pathogen begins multiplying in the host.
However, there are insufficient numbers of pathogen particles (cells or viruses) present
to cause signs and symptoms of disease. Incubation periods can vary from a day or two
in acute disease to months or years in chronic disease, depending upon the pathogen.

 Prodromal Period - Occurs after the incubation period. During this phase, the
pathogen continues to multiply and the host begins to experience general signs and
symptoms of illness, which typically result from activation of the immune system, such
as fever, pain, soreness, swelling, or inflammation. Usually, such signs and symptoms
are too general to indicate a particular disease. 

 Periods of Illness - During which the signs and symptoms of disease are most obvious
and severe.

 Decline - During which the number of pathogen particles begins to decrease, and the
signs and symptoms of illness begin to decline. However, during the decline period,
 patients may become susceptible to developing secondary infections because their
immune systems have been weakened by the primary infection. 

 Convalescence - During this stage, the patient generally returns to normal functions,
although some diseases may inflict permanent damage that the body cannot fully repair.

9.  Define reservoir of infection and distinguish between human, animal, and nonliving
reservoirs.  Give an example of each.

 Continual source of the disease organism ex: humans, animal, or nonliving hosts.

 Human-people who are actively infected or carriers for a disease may pass the germs to
another human EX: AIDs.

Animal-diseases that occur in animals can be transmitted to humans are called

zoonoses. Ex: limes disease and rabies. transmitted by contact with feces, contact with
animal, and insect vectors.

 Non-living reservoirs- soil and water-botulism and tetanus

10. Explain three methods of disease transmission.

 1. Direct contact - person to person, placental, fecal-oral

 2. Indirect contact - formites (inanimate object carries pathogen)

 3. Droplet transmission - mucous droplets, airborne transmission >1 meter

11. Define nosocomial infections and explain their importance and prevention.

 An infection acquired in hospital by a patient who was admitted for a reason other than
that infection. An infection occurring in a patient in a hospital or other health care facility
in whom the infection was not present or incubating at the time of admission. This
includes infections acquired in the hospital but appearing after discharge, and also
occupational infections among staff of the facility.
  infections can be prevented.
1) Preventing direct contact transmission: Hand decontamination, Personal hygiene,
Clothing,
Masks, Gloves, Safe injection practices
2) Food service and housekeeping at the hospital ensure that the equipment used and
all working and storage areas are kept clean
12. List probable reasons for emerging infectious diseases and name an example for
each.

 Genetic recombination: E. coli O157, avian influenza (H5N1)

 Evolution of new strains: V. cholerae O139

 Inappropriate use of antibiotics and pesticides: Antibiotic-resistant strains

 Changes in weather patterns: Hantavirus

 Animal control measures: Lyme disease

13.  Define epidemiology and describe three types of epidemiologic investigation.

 Epidemiology: The study of where and when diseases occur.

 -Descriptive: collection and analysis of data.

 -Analytical: comparison of a diseased group and a healthy group.

 -Experimental: controlled experiments.

14.  Explain the function of the CDC.

 Collects and analyzes epidemiological information in the United States.

 Publishes Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

 CDC conducts critical science and provides health information that protects our nation
against expensive and dangerous health threats, and responds when these arise.

15.  Define the following terms: morbidity, mortality, and notifiable disease.

 Morbidity: incidence of a specific notifiable disease

 Mortality: deaths from notifiable diseases

 Notifiable disease: : physicians are required to report occurrence