MICP 211 – Microbiology and

Parasitology
Bacteria and
Disease
Prepared by:
Imelda Sevilla, RN, MSN
 • Integrate knowledge of physical, social, natural and health
sciences, and humanities in linking interaction of
microorganisms with humans and diseases
• Introduce how a safe, appropriate and holistic care is
LEARNING provided utilizing the concept learned in microbiology.
OBJECTIVES: • Introduce microbiology guidelines and principles of
evidence - based practice when caring.
After studying
• Communicate effectively in speaking, writing and online
this chapter, you using medical microbiology terminologies.
should be able • Summarize important development of microbiology in
different eras
to: • Desire to develop new learning in the course as an
Introduction to a safe, appropriate care to individuals and
communities utilizing developments in the field of
microbiology
 ▪ Engage in lifelong learning such as conscientiousness,
diligent, responsibility, respect, principled, law-abiding.
▪ Introduce how infection control is performed effectively
LEARNING through collaboration with intra-, inter, multi-disciplinary
OBJECTIVES: health care team.
After studying ▪ Introduce research in the study of microbiology.
this chapter, you ▪ Explain component’s of Koch Postulate
should be able ▪ Explain Chain of Infection in Details
to: ▪ Describe ways infections are classified
▪ Compare events involved in Stages of Infection
▪ Define key terminologies of infection
 Bacteria And Diseases
❑Disease- Is an abnormal state in which
part or all of the body is not properly
adjusted or is unable to carry out usual
functions; any deviation from one’s current
condition of health
❑Infection- Is defined as pathogenic
microorganisms invading the body.
❑Symbiosis- The relation between the
indigenous flora and the host
❑Commensalism- Is a type of symbiosis
in which one organism benefits from the
other without harming it.
 Bacteria And Diseases
Mutualism- form of symbiosis in w/c both organisms
benefit from the relationship
Parasitism - a connection in which one organism benefits
from another while also harming it.
Pathogen- an organism that invades & causes damage or
injury to the host
Pathogenicity- Refers to an organism’s ability to cause
disease.
Contamination- is defined as the presence of organisms
outside of the body, such as those found in water, food, and other
biological substances.
Pollution- referred to the presence of undesired
compounds in water, air, or soil
 Bacteria And Diseases
▪ pathology and epidemiology - study of
disease
▪ Pathology: study the structural and
functional manifestation of disease;
involved in diagnosing diseases in
individual
▪ Epidemiology: study the factors that
determine the frequency, distribution,
and determinants of diseases in human
populations.
 INTRODUCTION

▪Epidemiologists are scientists who specialize in the study of disease

and injury patterns (incidence and distribution patterns) in populations
and ways to prevent or control diseases and injuries.
▪Epidemiologists study virtually all types of diseases, including heart,
hereditary, communicable, and zoonotic diseases and cancer.
 EPIDEMIOLOGIC
TERMINOLOGY

▪ INFECTIOUS DISEASE: is a disease that is caused by a pathogen.

▪ COMMUNICABLE DISEASE: an infectious disease transmissible from one
human to another (i.e., person to person)
▪ CONTAGIOUS DISEASE: defined as a communicable disease that is
easily transmitted from one person to another.
 EPIDEMIOLOGIC
TERMINOLOGY

▪ ZOONOTIC DISEASE: Infectious

diseases that humans acquire from
animal sources are called zoonotic
diseases or zoonoses.
▪ INCIDENCE: incidence of a particular
disease is defined as the number of new
cases of that disease in a defined
population during a specific time period.
 EPIDEMIOLOGIC
TERMINOLOGY
PREVALENCE
2 TYPES OF PREVALENCE
▪ PERIOD PREVALENCE: number
of cases of the disease existing in
a given population during specific
time period
▪ POINT PREVALENCE: number of
cases existing in a given
population at a particular moment
in time
EPIDEMIOLOGIC TERMINOLOGY
▪ MORBIDITY: morbidity rate for that
disease, which is usually expressed as
the number of new cases of a particular
disease that occurred during a specified
time period per a specifically defined
population
▪ MORTALITY RATE: ratio of the number
of people who died of a particular
disease during a specified time period
per a specified population
 EPIDEMIOLOGIC TERMINOLOGY

❑ SPORADIC DISEASES: one that occurs

only occasionally within the population of a
particular geographic area
❑ ENDEMIC DISEASES: diseases that are
always present within the population of a
particular geographic are.
EPIDEMIOLOGIC TERMINOLOGY

▪ EPIDEMIC DISEASES: greater than

usual number of cases of a disease
in a particular region

▪ PANDEMIC DISEASES: a disease

that is occurring in epidemic
proportions in many countries
simultaneously – sometimes
worldwide.
 KOCH’S POSTULATES
❑ Is a set of rules for establishing a relationship between a causative
microbe and a disease.
1. The same organism must be found in all cases of a given disease & must not
be present in healthy individuals
2. The organism must be isolated & grown in pure culture from the infected
person.
3. The organisms from the pure culture must reproduce the disease when
inoculated into susceptible
animal
4. The organism must be isolated in pure culture from the experimentally
infected animal
 FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE
OCCURRENCE OF INFECTION
• Portal of Entry - The avenue by which a pathogen gains access to the
body.
• Mucous membrane (inhaled),skin (wounds, abrasion) parenteral
route(Injections)
• Virulence of organism - The degree of pathogenicity of a
microorganism.
• Capsule enables organism to evade phagocytosis. Enzymes, Toxins
• Number of microbes- microbe, is an organism of microscopic size,
which may exist in its single-celled form or as a colony of cells;
• Microbial growth refers to an increase in number of cells rather than
an increase in cell size; likelihood of disease increases as umber of
pathogens increase
• Defensive powers of host- immune system –
• The body’s Immune System provides resistance to disease
HOW ORGANISMS
PRODUCE DISEASE

▪Mechanical- organisms directly

damage tissues or surface
▪Chemical- bacteria produces
chemicals & toxins
▪Immunologic - response of the
immune system
 Bacterial Toxins
A toxin is a specific substance, often a metabolic product of an organism that damages the host
PROPERTY EXOTOXIN ENDOTOXIN

Bacterial Source Gram + Gram -

Relation to Microorganism Metabolic product of growing
cell
Effect on the body Affects cell functions, nerve,
GIT
Fever Producing NO
Present in LPS of outer
membrane of cell wall
FEVER, weakness, aches,
shock
YES
CLASSIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES

1. According to ability for

person-to-person
❑Communicable Disease - a disease that
spreads from one host to other, either
directly or indirectly
❑Non communicable disease - not spread
from one person to another
❑Contagious disease - easily spread from
one person to another
CLASSIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES

2. According to source of
infection
❑Exogenous infection - is an infection that caused
by organisms not normally present in the body but
which have gained entrance from the environment.
❑Endogenous infection is an infection caused by
an infectious agent that is present on or in the host
prior to the start of the infection.
❑Fulminating infection - coming on suddenly and
with great severity; infection that results in the
death of the patient over a short period of time;
CLASSIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES

2. According to source of
infection
❑Nosocomial infections - or healthcare associated
infections occur when a person develops an infection
during their time at a healthcare facility.
❑Incidence - is a measure of the number of new cases
of a characteristic that develop in a population in a
specified time period
❑Prevalence - is the proportion of a population who
have a specific characteristic in a given time period,
regardless of when they first developed the
characteristic.
CLASSIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
3. According to occurrence of
infection
❑Sporadic – refers to a disease that occurs infrequently
and irregularly; occurs occasionally
❑Endemic disease A disease that is constantly
present in a certain population. (Malaria endemic in
Palawan)
❑Epidemic disease A disease acquired by many hosts
in a given area in a short time; many people develop
disease in a given locality at a short period of time
❑Pandemic disease An epidemic that occurs worldwide.
❑Zoonosis - disease that occurs primarily in wild and
domestic animals but can be transmitted to humans
CLASSIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES

3. According to
occurrence of infection
❑Epizoonosis - disease that occur epidemic in lower animals
❑Enzoonosis - endemic in lower animals
❑Bacteremia - presence of bacteria in the blood
❑Septicemia - presence of actively multiplying bacteria in blood
❑Toxemia - presence of toxins in the blood
❑Viremia - presence of viruses in the blood
❑Pyemia - presence of pus producing bacteria in the blood
CLASSIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES

4. According to severity or
duration of infectious
❑Acute disease- develops rapidly but lasts for short
period of time ( ex. common colds)
❑Chronic disease - develops more slowly & occur
for long period ( ex. tuberculosis)
❑Latent disease - causative organism remains
inactive for a time but can become active & produce
symptoms of disease (Ex: Shingles- disease that is
caused by same virus that causes chicken pox)
CLASSIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
5. According to extent of host
involvement:
❑Local infection - invading microorganisms are limited to a
relatively small area of the body
❑Focal infection - a local infection enters blood or lymphatic
vessel & spread to specific parts where they become confined to
the specific area of the body (ex. can arise from teeth, sinuses)
❑Systemic or generalized infection - invading
microorganisms or their products are spread
throughout the body by blood or lymph
THE STAGES OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
❑Incubation period - the time interval between entry of
microorganism & the first appearance of s/s
❑Prodromal period - mild symptoms of a disease w/c are
non specific (fever, cough, colds, malaise)
❑Period of illness - period of maximal invasion. The
disease is most acute during this period
Carrier state - pt. does not show s/s but still continues to
shed infecting microorganisms
❑Period of decline – Period of defervescence- s/s start to
subside. - patient Vulnerable to secondary infections
❑Period of convalescence - patient regains strength,
body returns to its pre-diseased normal
Reservoirs of Infection
❑the pathogen can multiply or
merely survive until it is
transferred to a host.
▪ living hosts or inanimate
objects or materials
❑Living (animals , humans)
❑Non-living (can be found in soil
(clostridium tetani & water vibrio
cholera, salmonella)
 LIVING RESERVOIRS
Human Carriers
• most important reservoirs of human
infectious diseases are other humans -
people with infectious diseases as well as
carriers.
• Carrier is a person who is colonized with
a particular pathogen, but the pathogen is
not currently causing disease in that
person.
▪ There are several types of
carriers.
▪ Passive carriers carry the
pathogen without ever having
had the disease.

▪ Incubatory carrier is a person

who is capable of transmitting a
pathogen during the incubation
period of a particular infectious
disease.
 • Convalescent carriers
harbor and can transmit
a particular pathogen
while recovering from an
infectious disease

• Active carriers have

completely recovered
from the disease, but
continue to harbor the
TYPES OF CARRIERS pathogen indefinitely
 Living Reservoirs
Animals
• As previously stated, infectious diseases
that humans acquire from animal
sources are called zoonotic diseases or
zoonoses.
• Many pets and other animals are
important reservoirs of zoonoses.
• Zoonoses are acquired by direct contact
with the animal, by inhalation or ingestion
of the pathogen, or by injection of the
pathogen by an arthropod vector.
 Examples of Zoonoses

• Rabies virus is usually

transmitted to a human through
the saliva that is injected when
one of these rabid animals bites
the human.
• Cat and dog bites often
transfer microorganism from
the mouths of these animals
into tissues, where severe
infections may result.
EXAMPLES OF ZOONOSES
• Toxoplasmosis, a protozoan disease caused
by Toxoplasma gondii
• contracted by ingesting oocysts from cat
feces
• ingesting cysts that are present in infected
raw or undercooked meats.
• may cause severe brain damage to, or
death of, the fetus when contracted by a
woman during her first trimester (first
3 months) of pregnancy.
• diarrheal disease, salmonellosis, is frequently
acquired by ingesting Salmonella bacteria from
the feces of turtles, other reptiles, and poultry.
 ARTHROPODS

▪ arthropods are animals, commonly

associated with human infections.
▪ Many different types of arthropods serve as
reservoirs of infection, including insects
(e.g., mosquitoes, biting flies, lice, fleas) and
arachnids (e.g., mites, ticks).
▪ When involved in the transmission of
infectious diseases, these arthropods
are referred to as vectors.
▪ arthropod vector may first take a blood meal
from an infected person or animal and then
transfer the pathogen to a healthy individual.
ROUTES OF TRANSMISSION
1. CONTACT transmission - refers to spread of
microorganism through direct contact, indirect contact or droplet
transmission.

❑Direct Contact – a.k.a. person to person transmission & involves direct

transmission by physical contact between the source of infection & the
susceptible host. (kissing, touching).
Ex. Common cold, Respiratory tract infections, chicken pox, syphilis, gonorrhea
❑Indirect contact - refers to transmission of causative agent from
reservoir to susceptible host through non living object(fomites) Ex of common
fomites: handkerchiefs, towels, spoons, toys. Ex. of diseases are common
colds, sore eyes, tuberculosis)
❑Droplet - is a form of contact transmission in w/c the organism is spread in
droplet nuclei that travel only short distances usually <1 meter from reservoir to
the host. These droplets are spread in to air by coughing, laughing, talking,
sneezing. Ex: pneumonia, influenzae
ROUTES OF TRANSMISSION
2. VEHICLE transmission - refers to
transmission of organism through media such as
food, water, air.
❑Food-borne - pathogens are transmitted through
ingestion of food that are improperly cooked, poorly
refrigerated , unsanitary conditions. ex. Food poisoning,
gastroenteritis
❑Air- borne - refers to spread of pathogens by droplet
nuclei in dust that travels >1 meter from the reservoir to
the host ( ex. measles, tuberculosis)
❑Water borne -pathogen is spread through
contaminated water ( ex , typhoid fever, chole
Diseases frequently transmitted
through foods and water

▪ amebiasis (caused by the ameba,

Entamoeba histolytica)
▪ botulism (caused by the bacterium,
Clostridium botulinum)
▪ Cholera (caused by the bacterium, Vibrio
cholerae),
▪ Infectious hepatitis (caused by hepatitis A
virus)
▪ typhoid fever (caused by the bacterium,
Salmonella typhi)
ROUTES OF TRANSMISSION
3. VECTORS- are animals that carry
organism from one host to another
Insects (arthropods) - most important
group of vectors
❑Mechanical transmission - refers to
passive transport of organism on insect’s feet
or other parts.
Ex: cockroaches & flies
❑Biological transmission - active
transport of organism. Organism enters the
insect vector after insect
vector bites an infected person
INTERACTION BETWEEN PATHOGENS,
HOSTS, AND ENVIRONMENT
INTERACTION BETWEEN PATHOGENS,
HOSTS, AND ENVIRONMENT
Infectious disease occurs depends on
many factors, some of which are listed
here:
1. Factors pertaining to the
pathogen:
▪ virulence of the pathogen
▪ way for the pathogen to enter the
body
▪ number of organisms that enter
the body
 Interaction between
Pathogens, Hosts, and
Environment
2. Factors pertaining to the
host
✓The person’s health status
✓The person’s nutritional
status
✓Other factors pertaining to
the susceptibility of the host
INTERACTION BETWEEN PATHOGENS,
HOSTS, AND ENVIRONMENT

3. Factors pertaining to the environment:

✓Physical factors such as geographic location,
climate, heat, cold, humidity, and season of the
year.
✓Availability of appropriate reservoirs,
intermediate hosts, and vectors
✓Sanitary and housing conditions; adequate
waste disposal; adequate health care
✓Availability of potable (drinkable) water
 CHAIN OF INFECTION

• There are six components in the

infectious disease process
1. There must first be a pathogen. As
an example, cold virus.
2. There must be a source of the
pathogen (i.e., a reservoir). In Figure
113, the infected person on the right
(“Andy”) is the reservoir. Andy has a
cold.
 CHAIN OF INFECTION

3. There must be a portal of exit (i.e., a

way for the pathogen to escape from
the reservoir). When Andy blows his
nose, cold viruses get onto his hands.
4. There must be a mode of
transmission (i.e., a way for the
pathogen to travel from Andy to
another person) direct contact
 CHAIN OF INFECTION

5. There must be a portal of entry (i.e., a way for

the pathogen to gain entry into Bob). When Bob
rubs his nose
6. There must be a susceptible host. For
example, Bob would not be a susceptible host
(and would, therefore, not develop a cold)
Strategies for Breaking the
Chain of Infection
• To prevent infections from occurring, measures
must be taken to break the chain of infection at
some point (link) in the chain. Some of the broad
goals are to:
• eliminate or contain the reservoirs of
pathogens or curtail the persistence of a
pathogen at the source
• prevent contact with infectious substances
from exit pathways
• eliminate means of transmission
• block exposure to entry pathways
• reduce or eliminate the susceptibility of
potential host
 Some of the specific methods of
breaking the chain of infection are

• Some of the specific methods of breaking the

chain of infection are:
• practicing effective hand hygiene
procedures
• maintaining good nutrition and adequate
rest and reduce stress
• obtaining immunizations against common
pathogens
• practicing insect and rodent control
measures
 Some of the specific methods of
breaking the chain of infection are

• Some of the specific methods of breaking the chain of

infection are:
• practicing proper patient isolation procedures
• ensuring proper decontamination of surfaces and
medical instruments
• disposing sharps and infectious wastes properly
• using gloves, gowns, masks, respirators, and
other personal protective equipment, whenever
appropriate to do so
• using needle safety devices during blood
collection
References:

• Engelkirk, P. G., et
al (2015). Burton’s
Microbiology: for the
Health Sciences.
10th ed. Lippincott
Williams & Wilkins