BIO201H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Emerging Infectious Disease, 1918 Flu Pandemic, Influenza A Virus Subtype H5N1
Document Summary
Week 5 jan 31 feb 2. Microorganisms: too small to be seen without magnification, also, called germs, agents, bugs, ex. Bacteria, viruses, algae, protists, worms, fungi: many microorganisms are not pathogenic, but are beneficial to ecosystems and humans. Moderate fever is good and helps kill pathogens: why are some pathogens so virulent, what is/are natural reservoir hot/s, can we predict the course of the disease, rather than how? (proximate, use, better understanding, better prevention and treatment. Easy : test, several species of fig wasps, female wasps lay eggs in fig, wasps parasites are transmitted among offspring that hatch out in the fig, parasites reduce reproductive success. In some wasp species, a single female lays eggs in each fig: low density. If viruses contain human genes then person-person transmission may occur: hybrid flue may cause severe disease with high virulence and high mortality, pandemic. Influenza virus seemed to vanish: hypothesis: mutated to be less virulent (survive longer by not killing host)
