Microorganisms *a tiny living thing
*usually single-celled
*can be seen only with a microscope
Mold Bacteria
Yeast Algae
Germs *microorganism that causes disease
Infection *growth of disease organisms
in the body of a host
Infectious Disease
*contagious /communicable can spread from one organism to another
disease can spread in three basic ways:
direct contact water
air
Viruses Cause... • Most bronchitis/chest colds
• Green/yellow nasal discharge
• Flu
• Most sore throats
• Ear aches and some sinusitis
….viruses clear up on their own - antibiotics won't
help!
Influenza Virus
“Flu”
Bacteria
• make you sick when they are parasitic (where they don’t belong) or grow more rapidly than normal
• live in your mouth, nose and throat
• are necessary for normal body functions (like digestion)
• are one of the oldest living things on Earth
• most are good guys (helpful or harmless)
“Bad” Bacteria Cause... • Strep throat
• Some ear infections
• Some sinus infections
• Pneumonia
...these can be treated with ANTIBIOTICS
Streptococcus Pneumoniae Bacteria
•Ear infections
•Meningitis
•Pneumonia
Virus or Bacteria: Who Knows?
• Let your healthcare provider decide!
• It is often hard to tell if illnesses are caused by a virus or bacteria
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Infection can result from: *sharing towels, dishes, contaminated objects. *Indirect contact or skin-to-skin contact
Sometimes an illness is passed to others by
a carrier (a person who has been infected by a germ
but does not look or feel sick)
•may carry the germ in their nose, throat, or stomach.
•can pass the germ by coughing, sneezing, or by not washing their hands properly.
• Your hands carry many germs-you can’t SEE them.
• Many people don’t wash hands (they LOOK clean)
Light patches indicate germs
carried on the hands