Pathology 3240A Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Gram Staining, Opportunistic Infection, Infection

• School: Western University
• Department: Pathology
• Course: Pathology 3240A
• Professor: Keith Kwan

Document Summary

There are thousands of infectious agents (e. g. bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic). We cannot cover them all in this course; we will present only the general principles of infectious disease and factors that combine to produce disease (i. e. host responses, virulence of the microorganism). These general principles will be illustrated using a few specific examples and some of the major pathological findings in a few specific cases. Following this lesson the student should be able to: Discuss factors that determine the virulence of microorganisms. Identify and describe the body"s major defenses against infection. Describe how an infectious organism may gain entry to the body. Describe how an organism may be disseminated throughout the body. Describe briefly the possible outcomes of infection. Describe the host"s response to infection (i. e. immune and inflammatory responses) and how organisms produce disease (directly or indirectly). Identify and describe situations in which opportunistic infections may arise. Be able to give examples of common opportunistic infectious organisms.