Basic Science: Define disease vectors?

Question

2. Mention five disease vectors and the disease they cause.

3. Write short notes on the following:

a. Immunization

b. innoculaton

c. vaccination

4. Mention three human diseases that can be prevented through immunization.

Answer 1

Vectors are anything that 'carry' a disease (usually an animal) they fall into two categories, invertebrate and vertebrates, the latter involves more direct transfer via bites or scratches (zoonosis).

1.Fleas - bubonic plague ( fleas live on rats)

2.Mosquitos - Malaria

3.Ticks - typhus fever/lymes disease

4. Kittens -  toxoplasma (causes miscarriage/stillbirth)

5. Cockraoches - can have up to 40 pathogens so literally most diseases

3. not sure on this/will take too long!

4. Measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, smallpox, diptheria, polio.

Hope this helps a little!

Answer 2

disease vectors - a disease vector is an organism that does not cause disease itself but which transmits infection by conveying pathogens from one host to another.

e.g. of different types of vectors -

1. mosquito (malaria, St. Louis encephalitis, dengue fever, yellow fever, West Nile virus)

2. flea (bubonic plague)

3. tick (Lyme disease, rocky mountain spotted fever, tick-borne encephalitis)

4. deer mouse (hantavirus)

5. kissing bug (Triatominae) (Chagas Disease)

6. bat(Rabies)

immunization - Immunization is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an agent (known as the immunogen).

there are two types of immunizations - active & passive

inoculation - Inoculation is the placement of something to where it will grow or reproduce, and is most commonly used in respect of the introduction of a serum, vaccine, or antigenic substance into the body of a human or animal, especially to produce or boost immunity to a specific disease

vaccination - Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material (the Vaccine) to produce immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by a pathogen. It is considered to be the most effective and cost-effective method of preventing infectious diseases. The material administrated can either be live, but weakened forms of pathogens such as bacteria or viruses, killed or inactivated forms of these pathogens, or purified material such as proteins

three human diseases that can be prevented through immunization - influenza, tetanus, chicken pox, polio and many more.