8 Microbes and Their Hosts Free Online FlashCards

What is microbial colonization?

Colonization is the establishment and persistence of a microbe at a body site.

Can an infection occur without noticeable illness?

Infection occurs when a microbe enters or multiplies in a host, and it can occur without noticeable illness.

How can adhesin–receptor matching shape tissue tropism?

Tissue tropism is a microbe’s tendency to colonize particular tissues, influenced by the match between its adhesins and host receptors.

How do body barriers help prevent microbial establishment?

Mucus, fluid flow, coughing, blinking, stomach acid, and shedding surface cells can trap or remove microbes.

What is a microbial biofilm?

A biofilm is a community of microbes embedded in a self-produced matrix that helps them remain attached and tolerate environmental stresses.

How can antigen variation help a microbe evade defenses?

Antigen variation changes microbial surface features recognized by antibodies, helping the microbe avoid recognition.

How do antibodies and T cells help defend the host?

Antibodies can block microbial attachment or neutralize toxins; T cells can help control infection and destroy infected cells.

What are bacterial exotoxins?

Exotoxins are bacterial proteins secreted or delivered to interfere with host-cell processes.

What is endotoxin, and what response can it trigger?

Endotoxin is a component of the outer membrane of many Gram-negative bacteria that can stimulate a strong inflammatory response.

How can inflammation both help and harm a host?

Inflammation can help contain microbes, but excessive or prolonged inflammation can injure nearby healthy tissue.

What does virulence describe?

Virulence is the degree or capacity of a microbe to cause disease; it depends on multiple microbial traits and the host context.

When is an opportunistic pathogen more likely to cause disease?

An opportunistic pathogen commonly causes disease when barriers are disrupted, it reaches an unusual body site, or host defenses are impaired.