GERM Theory of Disease

Germ theory of disease

ž  Infectious diseases are caused
by microorganisms or germs.
ž  Contradicts miasma and
contagion theory
ž  Supported by
—  Francesco Redi
—  Anton van Leeuwenhoek
—  Agostino Bassi (fungus attacks
silkworms)
—  Ignaz Semmelweis (childbed fever)
—  John Snow (he knows something…
about cholera)
—  Louis Pasteur
—  Robert Koch
John Snow
memorial
public house,
on Broadwick
Street, Soho
Pathogens and disease

Fungi

Viruses

Protozoa

Bacteria
Large
parasites
Biofilm Formation
Quorum Sensing
Understanding Emerging and
Re-emerging Infectious
Diseases
Disease
ž  -refers to a condition that impairs normal
tissue function
ž  Genetic or metabolic (cystic fibrosis),
disease of aging (atherosclerosis),
infectious disease (TB)
Infectious Disease
ž  Caused by the invasion of a host by
agents whose activities harm the host’s
tissues (that is, they cause disease) and
can be transmitted to other individuals
(that is, they are infectious)
Pathogens
ž  Microorganisms that are capable of
causing disease
ž  True pathogen vs. opportunistic
pathogen
ž  Mycoplasma pneumoniae,
Pneumocystis carinii
Infectious agents
ž  Bacteria
ž  Fungi
ž  Viruses
ž  Protozoa
ž  Helminths
ž  Prions(Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease,
scrapie, bovine spongiform
encephalopathy)
Emerging Infectious Diseases
ž  have not occurred in humans before
(difficult to establish and probably rare)
ž  have occurred previously but affected
only small numbers of people in isolated
places (AIDS, Ebola)
ž  have occurred throughout human history
but have only recently been recognized
as distinct diseases due to an infectious
agent (Lyme disease, gastric ulcer)
Re-emerging Infectious
Disease
ž  Diseases that once were major health
problems globally or in a particular
country, then declined dramatically, but
are again becoming health problems for
a significant proportion of the population
(malaria and TB)
Evolutionary Adaptation of
Viruses
ž  Antigenic variation
ž  Latency
ž  Direct Attack on the immune system
Antigen Variation
Latency
ž  Virusinfects a cell and enters an
inactive state (ex. Herpes simplex virus)
Direct attack on the immune
system
Bio Reporting (Emerging and Re-emerging
Infectious Diseases)
ž  Each group should report the following info about the disease:

ž  Infectious agent
ž  Manifestation of disease
ž  Treatment
ž  Transmission
ž  Preventive measures
ž  Brief history
ž  Incidence of the Disease (International and National—per region,
least affected and most affected in the country)
ž  Programs of DOH to eradicate or prevent the spread of disease
ž  Update about the disease: by incorporating at least 2 journal
articles
ž 
ž  You have a maximum of 10 minutes for the presentation. The
presentation will start on Monday.
Creative Output (Infomercial)
References
ž  Rothman, KJ. 1976. Causes. Am. J.
Epidemiol. 6; 104: 587-592.
ž  Vinels, P and Kriebel, D. 2006. Causal
models in epidemiology: past
inheritance and genetic future.
Environ. Health. 5:21.