Sk320

Question 1

Hi Everyone,

I live in the West Midlands; I have been studying with the OU for a fair while now. I am completing my Health and Social Care degree. I work as a CSW for the NHS, currently on maternity leave. Attempted this course last year however had to defer due to a busy life schedule. Looking forward to the challenge.

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Date on which message posted: 5th February 2014 13:43pm



Question 2

a) The factors that the group decided that a perfect pathogen would need were:

    • Easily transmitted

    • Avoid detection from the hosts immune system

    • Rapid maturation and mutation

    • Release progeny

    • Susceptible host

    • Able to survive outside the host

    • Pathogen can be transmitted from the host to another viable host easily.

    • Resistant to drugs

    • Not to kill the host or incapacitated, make them ill.



b) The factors that I contributed were:

    • To be able to invade the host undetected.

    • To evade the immune system (by being dormant if necessary e.g.: Varicella zoster virus – Shingles)

    • Not to kill the host

    • Resistant to drugs (influenza and HIV)

    • To be able to spread by easy transmission

    • Rapid and large numbers progeny maturation

    • Rapid mutation



c) By not alerting the host at point of infection gives the pathogen the time required to spread the infection by reproducing and also for the host to infect others without realizing, via many transmission routes. Once the host has been infected the pathogen needs to be able to thrive in great numbers, which means that it does not want the immune system of the host to be alerted, the pathogen is able to ‘hide’ undetected while the pathogen is able to spread. Some pathogens are able to lay dormant for years e.g.; Varicella zoster virus, a host may have had chicken pox in the past and shingles can be aggravated at a later date. For the pathogen to survive it needs the right...