Summary: Microbial Disease Mechanisms

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• 1 Introduction

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• When is the term commensalism often applied?

  When the relationship between two organism is unknown or not obvious

• Potential/opportunistic pathogen:

  Microorganism that lives in a commensal or parasitic relationship without causing disease unless they have the opportunity
  Example: pseudomonas aeruginosa

• What are potential or opportunistic pathogens?

  Normally live in a commensal or parasitic relationship without producing disease in their host
  - Unless they have an opportunity brought on by some compromise or weakness in the host's anatomical barriers, tissue resistance, or immunity

• What are obligate pathogens?

  Pathogens that do not associate with their host except in the case of disease

• When is an infection said to have occured?

  If a bacterium breaches the blood or internal tissue surface 
  - An infection does not necessarily lead to infectious disease

• How are pathogenic bacteria able to produce disease?

  Because they possess certain structural or biochemical or genetic trait that render them pathogenic or virulent

• What are clostridium tetani and corynebacterium diphtheriae?

  Clostridium tetani -> causes tetanus, toxin producing (muscle cramps)
  Corynebacterium diphtheriae -> toxin producing, non motile bacteria

• What are the pathogen's virulence determinants?

  The sum of characteristics that allow a given bacterium to produce disease

• What do staphylococcus aureus, treptococcus pyogenes and pseudonomas aurginosa have?

  They have more virulence factors (determinants)

• What are host defences?

  The host has various degrees of resistance to the parasite