Infectious Diseases (Cambridge (CIE) A Level Biology): Revision Note
Exam code: 9700
Infectious diseases
A disease is an illness or disorder of the body or mind that leads to poor health
Infectious diseases are caused by pathogens and are transmissible
Transmissible means they can be spread between individuals within a population
Term | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
Infectious, or communicable, disease | Diseases caused by pathogens that can be transmitted from infected to uninfected people. Some can transmit from animals to people, or people to animals | Cholera Tuberculosis (TB) Malaria HIV/AIDS |
Non-infectious disease | Diseases that are not caused by pathogens, but that may instead be inherited, or related to lifestyle factors or life events | Lung cancer Sickle cell disease Depression Coronary heart disease |
Common pathogens & their diseases
Examples of infectious diseases of worldwide importance are
Cholera
Malaria
Tuberculosis (TB)
HIV/ AIDS
The number of people infected with these diseases across the world remains very high
These diseases pose serious public health problems
These diseases are all caused by pathogens
Understanding the pathogen and its method of transmission are important in reducing the spread of disease
Disease | Pathogen | Type of organism |
|---|---|---|
Cholera | Vibrio cholerae | Bacterium |
Malaria | Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium vivax | Protist |
TB | Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis | Bacterium |
HIV/AIDS | Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) | Virus |
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