Epidemiology and Antibiotic Resistance Fomites

Portals of Entry

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Modes of Transmission
● Direct person-to-person contact
● Direct mucus membrane to mucus membrane
● Indirect by air droplets or dust
● Indirect contamination of food and water
● Blood contamination by vectors
● Mechanical transmission - arthropod carries pathogen on its feet
● Biological transmission - pathogen reproduces in the vector;
transmitted via bites or feces

Portals of Exit

Question: What type of host is the most susceptible to infection?

Extent of Host Involvement

Vectors vs. Reservoirs
I. ACCORDING TO AREA OF INVASION
● Reservoirs are the natural hosts of pathogenic organisms and
- Localized, Systemic, Focal, Latent
are usually unaffected by any diseases associated with the
pathogen that they host (i.e. bats are natural reservoirs for Ebola
and SARS-CoV-like viruses). They do not actively transmit these
pathogens to other hosts.
● Vectors are organisms that actively infect other organisms with
the pathogens they carry (i.e. mosquitos are vectors of malaria
and dengue virus).
II. ACCORDING TO SEVERITY Epidemiology
● Science that deals with the frequency and distribution of disease
and the factors that contributes to their spread.

Herd Immunity

Epidemiology and Statistics

Blood Infections
● Sepsis: toxic inflammatory condition arising from the spread of
microbes, especially bacteria or their toxins, from a focus of infection
● Bacteremia: bacteria in the blood
● Septicemia: also known as blood poisoning; growth of bacteria in the
blood
● Toxemia: toxins in the blood
● Viremia: viruses in the blood

Primary vs. Opportunistic Infections

● Primary infection: acute infection that causes the initial illness.
● Secondary infection: opportunistic infection after a primary
(predisposing) infection.

III. ACCORDING TO THE MANNER IT REACHES THE BODY

● Communicable vs. Non-communicable diseases

Controlling the Growth of Microbes in Vivo

● Antimicrobial agents/drugs can be used to inhibit or control the growth
of microbes within the body.
● The goal is to create treatments that only target pathogenic and
organisms but do not harm human body cells.

Characteristics of Antimicrobial Agents

● Kill or inhibit the growth of pathogens
● Cause no damage to the host
● Cause no allergic reaction in the host
● Be stable when stored in solid or liquid form
● Remain in specific tissues in the body long enough to be effective
● Kill the pathogens before they mutate and become resistant to it
 Drug Resistance

Mechanisms for Drug Resistance

Bactericidal vs. Bacteriostatic

● Bactericidal – Kills bacteria
● Bacteriostatic – Suppresses bacterial growth

Beta-Lactams
● Beta-Lactams inhibit bacteria by binding covalently to PBPs
(Penicillin-Building Proteins) in the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane.
● PBPs are essential in the process of cell wall Biosynthesis