Unit 8 P1

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Understand the cause and spread of infection P1- Explain how infections are caused by different pathogens P2- Explain how pathogenic micro-organisms grow and spread In this assignment, I will be looking at how infections are caused by different pathogens and then how pathogenic micro-organisms grow and then spread in the body. There are three main causes of infection, these are: • Normal flora • Transient flora • Chain of infection Normal flora is the bacteria within the body that we need to function properly. This type of bacteria doesn’t normally cause any disease. These bacteria live in almost every part of our body, including in the skin, in the mouth, in the ears and in the stomach. Normal flora is non-pathogenic micro-organism, they help keep the body healthy, fit and…show more content…
They can cause problems such as a parasitic infection or even an African trypanosomiasis. Fomites A fomite is something that can easily become contaminated with harmful bacteria and cause a lot of medical problems. For example these could be found in bedding, clothes, masks and even toilets. Coming into contact with these can cause illnesses such as Ringworm, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) and a bacterial form of this could cause severe diarrhoea. Faeces Handling any type of faeces can be dangerous because of the amount of harmful bacteria that it can carry. The infections can be carried through contact with the face, hand-to-mouth and even using the toilet straight after handling the faeces. The infections that you can get from this are campylobacter, clostridium difficile and even diarrhoeal illnesses. Air Some infections and illnesses can be passed through the air; this is known as an airborne transmitted illness. This means that the micro-organisms must be inhaled. The diseases that can be passed on through inhalation include TB (tuberculosis), Chickenpox and

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