BTEC Applied Science Unit 12 Assignment A
Diseases and Infection
Unit 12: Diseases and Infection
Aim A: Investigate different types of diseases and infections that can affect humans
The characteristics microorganism and their structure:
All microorganism is single celled organism except fungi, where fungi can be multicellular and single
cell organism. All the organism require microscope to be seen except fungi in mushroom where it
can be seen with naked eye.
All the microorganism which I mean fungi. Virus protozoa, bacteria are heterotrophic except
protozoa which have some part of species as autotrophs and were virus is non-living outside its host
therefore it cannot produce its own food either in the host or outside the host cell.
1- Bacteria
Bacteria are a very delicate organism, which is not classified as a plant or even an animal, but rather
belongs to their own group.
Characteristics • They are unicellular
of bacteria • They are prokaryotes meaning that they have no membrane bound organelles
• Their cell wall is made of peptidoglycan
• They are transmitted by Asexual (binary fission).
• They are around 0.2-2μm in diameter and 1-8μm in duration
• They may aerobically and anaerobically breathe these mandatory bacteria
• Grow in different temperatures
Structure of • Has capsule whose main function is to protect it against the host's immune system.
bacteria: • Has flagella that is responsible for bacterial movement.
• They contain additional double-strand DNA molecule called plasmid and have
antibiotic resistance feature.
• They have a hair structure called pili that is located outside the cell of bacteria used in
the adhesion to another surface or bacterium.
• Smaller ribosomes than eukaryotic cells
• Cytoplasm in which a chemical reaction takes place.
Reproduction Bacteria reproduce binary fission and split two daughter cells
forms of - Spheroid: Usually the simpler form of a bacterium, in this case it is called cocci.
bacteria - Penis shape: bacteria that are characterized by this form are called Bacilli
bacteria, but some types of these bacteria are curved and called Vibrio.
- Spiral: It is known as Spirilla, but in the case that the roll in bacteria is very
narrow, in this case it is called spirochetes.
Bacteria are Soil and water, Radioactive waste, Plants and animals, Deep crusts, Organic matter,
found in Arctic ice and avalanches, Stratosphere, Deep ocean.
bacterial Cholera, Diphtheria, Dysentery, Plague, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis.
diseases
Nutrition - Autotropic bacteria:
Example Non-pathogenic food that can produce its own food from solar, carbon dioxide
and nitrogen, for example: photoautotrophs
- Heterotrophic bacteria:
Their own food cannot be synthesized, so that medium development, such as glucose
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, or another living cell, is needed as a human, for example: Clostridium tetani
Disease caused by bacterial Tuberculosis disease
Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection which is transmitted by inhaling tiny droplets from an
infected person's cough or sneezes.
It's a dangerous problem but with adequate care, it can be cured.
TB affects mainly the lungs. They can affect any part of the body, however, including the glands,
bones and the nervous system.
The A bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis is responsible for TB.
Causes TB that affects the lungs is the most infectious type but typically spreads to those
with the disease only after prolonged exposure. This also spreads, for example,
within a family that lives in the same house.
The immune system (the normal protection of the body against infection and
disease) destroys the bacteria in most healthy people, so there are no signs to us.
The immune system can't kill the bacteria often, but it does manage to prevent them
from spreading throughout the body. It means you're not going to have any effects
because the bacteria will live in your body. It is considered latent tuberculosis.
Symptoms • A recurrent cough that lasts longer than three weeks and typically produces a
bleeding phlegm
• weight loss
• night sweats
• high temperature (fever)
• exhaustion and tiredness
• lack of appetite
• fresh swelling that has not gone down after a few weeks.
Diagnosis Checking for M can be performed using the Mantoux tuberculin skin test (TST) or the
TB blood test. Infection with tuberculosis; Additional testing to confirm TB disease is
required. The skin check of Mantoux tuberculin is achieved by injecting a small
amount of fluid called tuberculin into the skin in the lower part of the arm.
Life cycle The life cycle of TB bacteria is approximately twelve to eighteen hours. As a human
pathogen the life cycle starts as it reaches the body through the lungs. The
macrophages then take it further where it multiplies. The bacterium then spreads all
over the lymphatic system
Effects on TB typically impacts the lungs and other areas of a body, including the brain, kidneys,
human or spine, may also be affected. A person who suffers from TB may die if they do not
body receive treatment.
treatment Medicines form the foundation of care for tuberculosis. Yet it takes a lot more time
to treat TB than to treat certain forms of bacterial infections. You must take
antibiotics for at least six to nine months to get active tuberculosis.
the highly common medications used to treat tuberculosis include:
- Isoniazid
- Rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)
- Ethambutol (Myambutol)
- Pyrazinamide
preventive - Taking all the medications as prescribed
care - Hold all appointments made by the doctor.
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, - When cough or sneeze always cover the mouth with a tissue. Seal the fabric
into a plastic bag, then throw it away.
- Wash hands after coughed or sneezed.
- Do not meet anyone and do not allow them to come and see you.
- Stay home from the job, school, or other places in town.
- Using a fan to blow around fresh air, or open windows.
- Should not use public transportation.
2- fungi
Characteristics • Eukaryotes are fungi which are heterotrophic, meaning it is membrane-bound
of fungi: organelle, which means that they don't make their own food.
• Fungi both sexually reproduces (spore formation) and sexually asexually (budding).
• It spreads by the spore release cycle.
• Chlorophyll is not found in fungi.
• Fungi form symbiotic connections with other survival species, e.g. fungus lichen lives
by autotrophic, green algae.
The structure • The cell wall is composed of chitin composed from insect-like carbohydrates.
of fungi: • They contain organelles connected to the membrane, such as mitochondria and
nucleus.
• Hyphae are the principal vegetative growth mode for fungi. Mycelium is a bunch of
hyphae.
Reproduction Reproduce by budding and fragmentations. And sexually and asexually by spore
formation.
fungi 1- It causes human diseases such as skin diseases such as:
diseases - Athlete's foot disease (between the toes) is caused by a deficient fungus.
- Ringworm
- Middle ear infections.
2- It causes diseases in animals: for example (some fungi that infect ants)
3-Causes diseases of plants: for example
- Wheat rust
- Corn disease.
- Sicker wilt diseases of cotton and tomato.
- Early blight disease affecting tomatoes and potatoes.
- Spotting disease of cotton plant leaves.
Nutrition of The heterotrophic fungi are. They get their nutrients from the atmosphere by
fungi consuming the organic compounds. Fungi along with bacteria present in soil are
the main organic matter decomposers in terrestrial ecosystems
Disease caused by fungal Ringworm
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