SECTION B - SYLLABUS OBJECTIVE 10.

1 DISTINGUISH AMONG PATHOGENIC, DEFICIENCY, HEREDITARY AND PHYSIOLOGICAL

DISEASES

Definitions
• Health – complete physical, mental and social well-being. It is, but not limited to, being disease free.
• Disease – a condition in which the health of on organism is impaired or is defective.
• There are four main types of diseases: deficiency, hereditary, physiological and pathogenic.
• Signs: a phenomenon that can be detected by someone other than the individual (doctor, family) affected by the disease.
○ An objective evidence if a disease, such as blood in the stool, a skin rash, fever, swellings, blisters.
• Symptoms: a phenomenon that is experienced by the individual affected by the disease.
○ Others will only know if the individual tells them. Stomach ache, lower-back pain, fatigue, nausea, headache, dizziness
for example, can only be detected or sensed by the patient.
• Treatment – this is a therapy that needs to be continued on a regular basis to alleviate signs and symptoms of a disease. If the
therapy is stopped, the symptom/condition may return.
• Cure – this is a therapy that puts an end to the symptom caused by the disease of condition indefinitely.
• Prevention – this is an anticipatory action that inhibits the introduction of disease into an area or individual. It involves
stopping the incident from happening.
• Control – steps taken to reduce/minimize the problem to a tolerable/manageable level.

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ITQ 1: What do you understand by the terms: (i) pathogenic disease (ii) hereditary disease (iii) physiological disease
(iv) deficiency disease?
(i) Pathogenic disease – symptoms of disease are seen because of the presence of another organism (a pathogen) in the body.
(ii) Hereditary disease – symptoms of disease seen because of the presence of a ‘disease-carrying’ gene which was passed to an
organism from its parents.
(iii) Physiological disease – symptoms of disease seen because an organ or part of the body is not working.
(iv) Deficiency disease – symptoms of disease seen when a nutrient or nutrients are lacking in the diet of the organism.

Pathogenic Disease (Infections, Communicable)

A pathogen lives on or inside an organism, the host, causing it to be diseased or sick. Pathogens can move from one host to
another, or infect organism in a number of ways.

Important Pathogenic Disease

Transmission of Infectious Diseases

ITQ 2: (i) What is a vector? (ii) Discuss why a fly can be considered to be a vector.
(i) A vector carries a pathogen from host to host. It is able to pick up the pathogen in or on its body when it feeds and then transfers
the pathogen when it moves to another host.
(ii) Flies pick up microorganisms when they feed. They feed on any organic matter, especially dead and rotting organic matter. Their
bodies are hairy and can easily carry pathogens. They also regurgitate or vomit previous food when they eat. If they land to feed on
any substance that is going to be food or drink to another animal, they can pass the pathogen to a new host. Flies are thus
considered to be vectors.

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Gastroenteritis
▪ Definition: an inflammation of the stomach and intestines caused by one of any number of viruses. It may also be
due to a bacterial infection. It is highly contagious and spreads through close contact with people who are
infected, or through contaminated food or water.
▪ Cause: Rotovirus or Norovirus in water, food, unclean surfaces or droplets infects the stomach wall or intestinal
track.
▪ Signs and symptoms: watery diarrhoea (may have blood), nausea and vomiting, headache, muscle aches, joint
aches, fever, chills, sweating, abdominal cramps and pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, sunken eyes.
▪ Treatment: rehydration fluids, antivirals, fruits and vitamin C to boost your immune system. Treat other
symptoms.
▪ Prevention and control: wash hands regularly, do not eat raw food, education on proper sanitation.

Influenza
▪ Definition: an illness affecting the respiratory tract, caused by several viral infections. It is spread from person to
person mainly, by droplets of respiratory fluid sent through the air when someone infected with the virus coughs
or sneezes. Other people inhale the airborne virus and can become infected.
▪ Causes: a virus that mutates (changes) regularly. It infects the nose, throat, trachea and lungs.
▪ Signs and symptoms: sore throats, fever, fatigue, weakness, coughing, difficulty breathing, chest congestion, stuffy
nose, headache.
▪ Treatment: medication to relieve symptoms, rest, fluids, vitamins.
▪ Prevention and control: wash hands regularly, flu vaccine, education and sanitation.

Sexually transmitted diseases

▪ Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can be caused by:
□ Bacteria (gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia)
□ Parasites (trichomoniasis)
□ Viruses (human papillomavirus, genital herpes, HIV)
▪ They are pathogenic/infectious/communicable diseases.

AIDS
□ AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
□ Cause: HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) invades CD4 lymphocyte and incorporates its viral DNA into
that of the lymphocyte. The body may try to get rid of the virus by attacking its own lymphocyte which
weakens the immune system.
□ Mode of Transmission: sexual intercourse, mother to baby, breast milk, shared needles, blood transfusion.
□ Signs and symptoms: very wide – persistent coughs, swollen lymph nodes, fever, weight loss, diarrhoea, skin
rashes, opportunistic diseases.
□ Treatment: anti-retrovirals (cocktails), drusg to enhance immune system, treat other symptoms.
□ Prevention and control: keep one sexual partner, get tested, avoid taking drugs, do not share needles, use a
condom.

HIV cannot be transmitted through:

 Kissing an infected person.
 Being sneezed on by someone with HIV.
 Sharing baths, towels or cutlery with someone with HIV.
 Swimming in a pool that has been used by someone with HIV.
Sitting on a toilet seat that someone with HIV has previously sat on.

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  Sitting on a toilet seat that someone with HIV has previously sat on.

Implications of HIV/AIDS
 A combination of factors makes the spread of HIV/AIDS very difficult to control:
◊ There is currently no vaccine or cure for HIV/AIDS.
◊ The time interval between the virus entering the body and symptoms developing may be
several years. During this time the infected person can pass on the virus without knowing it.
◊ Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) where a patient takes a combination of three or
more antiretroviral drugs is relatively expensive and must be taken for a patient’s lifetime
making the cost ongoing.
◊ It can be difficult to persuade people to change their sexual behaviour.
◊ A combination of factors makes the spread of HIV/AIDS very difficult to control:
◊ The continual spread of HIV/AIDS has a variety of consequences including:
 Shortened life expectancies.
 Job loss resulting in loss of earnings.
 Increased expenditure for medical care and an increased strain on health services.
 Discrimination.
 Neglect by relatives and friends.
 Parentless children.
 Decreased standards of living.
◊ With education, some of these are preventable.

Gonorrhoea
□ Gonorrhoea: a venereal disease involving inflammatory discharge from the urethra or vagina.
□ Cause: bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae that grows and multiply in mucus membranes of the body;
specifically in warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes in
women and in the urethra in women and men. The bacteria can also grow in the mouth, throat and anus.
□ Mode of transmission: sexual intercourse and oral sex, mother to baby’s eyes during delivery.
□ Signs and symptoms: greenish yellow or white discharge from the vagina/penis, lower abdominal or pelvic
pain, burning when urinating, bleeding between periods, spotting after intercourse, swelling of the vuvla
(vulvitis), burning in the throat, swollen glands in the throat, burning when urinating (men) and swollen
testicles.
□ Treatment: antibiotics and avoid sexual contact during infection.
□ Prevention and control: keep one sexual partner, get tested, avoid taking drugs, do not share needles, use a
condom.

SECTION B - SYLLABUS OBJECTIVE 10.2 STAGES IN THE LIFE CYCLE OF A MOSQUITO

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