NUR 239 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Prodrome, Chlamydiaceae, Rickettsiaceae

NUR 239/Pathophysiology and Pharmacotherapeutics in Nursing I

Unit 2/Response of the Body to Infectious Agents

Complete the following study guide and submit on Reggie Net by the due date on the Course Calendar

1

Porth Chapter 14 – Mechanisms of Infectious Disease

Define the following terms:

▪ Incidence: the frequency with which something, such as a disease or trait, appears

on or in artificial growth media such as afar plates or broth

▪ Serology: “the study of the serum”, is an indirect means of identifying infectious

agents by measuring serum antibodies in the diseased host

▪ Virulence: severity or harmfulness of a disease or poison

Key Learning Objectives - Answer the follow questions (Porth Chapter 14)

▪ Name the agents of infectious disease

o Prions, viruses, bacteria, Rickettsiaceae, and Chlamydiaceae, fungi, and

parasites

▪ How are microorganisms transmitted between hosts?

o Penetration, direct contact, ingestion, and inhalation

prolonged or short; influenced by the general health of the host, portal of

entry, and the infectious dose of the pathogen

o Prodromal stage: initial appearance of symptoms in the host, although

clinical presentation during this time may be only a vague sense of malaise,

mild fever, myalgia, headache, and/or fatigue

o Acute state: period during which the host experiences the max impact of the

infectious process corresponding to rapid proliferation and dissemination of

the pathogen; toxic by-products of microbial metabolism, cell lysis, and the

immune response mounted by the host combine to produce tissue damage

and inflammation; symptoms of the host are pronounced and more specific