Has this ever happened to you? A student sitting next to you in class has a cold. The other student is coughing and sneezing, but you feel fine. Two days later, you come down with a cold, too. Diseases like colds are contagious. Contagious diseases are also called infectious diseases. An infectious disease is a disease that spreads from person to person. Infectious diseases are caused by pathogens. A pathogen is a living thing or virus that causes disease. Pathogens are commonly called germs. They can travel from one person to another. Living things that cause human diseases include bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. Most infectious diseases caused by these organisms can be cured with medicines. For example, medicines called antibiotics can cure most diseases caused by bacteria. Bacteria are one-celled organisms without a nucleus. Although most bacteria are harmless, some cause diseases. Worldwide, the most common disease caused by bacteria is tuberculosis (TB). TB is a serious disease of the lungs. Another common disease caused by bacteria is strep throat. You may have had strep throat yourself. Bacteria that cause strep throat are shown below ( Figure 1.1). Some types of pneumonia and many cases of illnesses from food are also caused by bacteria. The structures that look like strings of beads are bacteria. They belong to the genus Streptococcus. Bacteria of this genus cause diseases such as strep throat and pneumonia. They are shown here 900 times bigger than their actual size. Fungi are simple eukaryotic organisms that consist of one or more cells. They include mushrooms and yeasts. Human diseases caused by fungi include ringworm and athletes foot. Both are skin diseases that are not usually serious. A ringworm infection is pictured below ( Figure 1.2). A more serious fungus disease is histoplasmosis. It is a lung infection. Though fungal infections can be annoying, they are rarely as serious or deadly as bacterial or viral infections. Ringworm isnt a worm at all. Its a disease caused by a fungus. The fungus causes a ring-shaped rash on the skin, like the one shown here. Protozoa are one-celled organisms with a nucleus, making them eukaryotic organisms. They cause diseases such as malaria. Malaria is a serious disease that is common in warm climates. The protozoa infect people when they are bit by a mosquito. More than a million people die of malaria each year. Other protozoa cause diarrhea. An example is Giardia lamblia ( Figure 1.3). Viruses are nonliving collections of protein and DNA that must reproduce inside of living cells. Viruses cause many common diseases. For example, viruses cause colds and the flu. Cold sores are caused by the virus Herpes simplex This picture shows a one-celled organism called Giardia lamblia. It is a protozoan that causes diarrhea. ( Figure 1.4). Antibiotics do not affect viruses, because antibiotics only kill bacteria. But medicines called antiviral drugs can treat many diseases caused by viruses. Keep in mind that viruses are nonliving, so can they be killed? Different pathogens spread in different ways. Some pathogens spread through food. They cause food borne illnesses, which are discussed in a previous concept. Some pathogens spread through water. Giardia lamblia is one example. Water can be boiled to kill Giardia and most other pathogens. Several pathogens spread through sexual contact. HIV is one example, which is discussed in the next concept. Other pathogens that spread through sexual contact are discussed in a separate concept. Many pathogens that cause respiratory diseases spread by droplets in the air. Droplets are released when a person sneezes or coughs. Thousands of tiny droplets are released when a person sneezes ( Figure 1.5). Each droplet can contain thousands of pathogens. Viruses that cause colds and the flu can spread in this way. You may get sick if you breathe in the pathogens. As this picture shows, thousands of tiny droplets are released into the air when a person sneezes. Each droplet may carry thousands of pathogens. You cant normally see the droplets from a sneeze because they are so small. However, you can breathe them in, along with any pathogens they carry. This is how many diseases of the
Output: giardia lamblia is