Disease Detectives II Host, Agent and Environment

Science Olympiad Team Carmel High School

For the Science Olympiad Disease Detectives event, team members can only have a nonprogrammable calculator. NO reference materials are allowed.

For the disease detective

the laboratory is the world!

Two frameworks for our detective work

Person Place Time

Host Agent Environment

Today we brainstorm
Host Agent Environment

Host variables to look at

Who?

HOST
The host is the individual who gets the disease of interest. The disease detective is usually interested in studying POPULATIONS of hosts that things in common.

A population is a group of individuals with something in common.

Some host characteristics

Age! Considered the most important single determinant of health status. Sex / gender Race Ethnicity Religion Workplaces Affiliations: schools, clubs Lifestyle: physical activity, sexual practices, smoking, alcohol and drug use

If the host is an animal or plant

Genus and species Subspecies or variety Age Sex Diet/nutrient requirements
Adaptations: Defenses against disease and predators Reproductive functions and mating strategy Means of acquiring and digesting food (acquiring matter and energy).

Agent characteristics: Lets look at

What?

The agent is the

CAUSE
of the disease or problem.

We will spend some time later looking at agents of disease.

What is the causative agent of AIDS? What is the agent of salmonella infection? What is the agent of coronary artery disease?

What is the causative agent of AIDS?

What is the agent that causes salmonella gastroenteritis?

What is the agent of coronary artery disease?

What is the agent of coronary artery disease?

Oops! The one-agent, one-disease model breaks down. There are many agents that contribute to the development of coronary artery disease.

What are some of the factors that interact in complex ways to lead to development of

coronary artery disease?

Environmental variables to look at

Where
and

how?

Environments that contribute to disease

CONDITIONS: Hazardous workplaces: noise, dangerous chemicals Vectors of disease Basements with high radon gas levels Dirty water supplies Inadequate food supplies Extreme heat or cold BEHAVIORS: Failure to store and cook food properly Failure to practice abstinence or use condoms DUI Social environments that favor violence. Smoking, including places that have passive smoking

Mosquitoes are vectors of disease.

Mosquito control programs help modify the environment so that the vectors are eliminated.

What techniques can we use to kill mosquitoes at each stage of its life cycle?

The GOALS of disease detectives are to:

1. Determine the cause of disease outbreaks so that the progress of the disease in the community can be stopped.

The GOALS of disease detectives are to: about agents of disease so that new, effective treatments and preventions can be found.
2. Learn more

The GOALS of disease detectives are to:

3. Contribute to the body of scientific knowledge about disease.

Some new terms

Endemic Epidemic

Outbreak

Pandemic

Endemic
An adjective that refers to the normal, expected background rate of disease in a population. In determining if the rate of disease is what we expect, we must consider factors like location, age group, season of year, etc. The endemic rate of flu is lower in the summer than in the winter.

Epidemic
As a noun, refers to an increase in the rate of disease. The rate of disease is much higher than expected in a given location at a given time of year. There was a flu epidemic in Western Europe in 1974.

Outbreak
An outbreak of disease is a miniepidemic. An outbreak is usually localized to an institution (hospital, school, etc.). There was an outbreak of food poisoning in the Polly Panda Day Care Center last week. It was caused by contaminated potato salad.

Pandemic
A worldwide epidemic. To say global pandemic is redundant. The AIDS pandemic shows no signs of abating, especially in Africa.

Disease Agent of the Week

Viral Hepatitis
Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C Hepatitis D

The liver is the bodys chemical factory. It produces hundreds of products and catalyzes many biochemical reactions. It is a vital organ. Infection of the liver can cause serious disease, even death!

What does hepatitis mean?

Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. There are many causes of hepatitis, including: Ingestion of toxic substances Chronic alcohol abuse Viruses: hepatitis A, B, C, D Certain bacteria Autoimmune disorders: immune system attacks its own tissues!

 itis means inflammation of Encephalitis Nephritis Hepatitis Dermatitis Rhinitis Otitis Gastritis Enteritis Gastroenteritis Myocarditis

What is a virus?
A virus is a self-replicating system of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) enclosed in a protein coat. Viruses affect bacteria (bacteriophages), plants, and animals. Not all viruses cause disease.

An electron micrograph of the hepatitis B virus.

This virus is a double-stranded DNA virus.

It is transmitted only among humans. Primates can be experimentally infected, but do not acquire the disease in nature.

Means of transmission
Hepatitis A fecal-oral -- in unsanitary conditions. People acquire the virus by ingestion with food or water. Hepatitis B, C, and D bloodborne pathogen acquired from infected blood or body fluids.

What are some of the human body fluids?

Based on what you know

Which category of viral hepatitis is most likely to be transmitted in community-wide epidemics? Which category of viral hepatitis is most likely to occur sporadically among individuals in the community?

Think about it. Infectious diseases are transmitted by BEHAVIORS.

What are some behaviors that favor transmission of blood and body fluids?

What can disease investigators do to stop the spread of a hepatitis A outbreak?

Prevention of additional cases of hepatitis A

Education: handwashing, using only safe, pasteurized food. Lifestyle: discontinue fertilization of fields with human feces. Installation of indoor plumbing in developing countries. Immunization of healthy people with the new hepatitis A vaccine.

What can disease investigators do to stop the spread of a hepatitis B in the community?

Prevention of hepatitis B, C, and D and other bloodborne pathogens.

Education: about means of spread of the diseases. Healthcare workers must sterilize equipment between patients. Lifestyle: Teaching injectible drug users not to share needles. Discouraging cultural practices that favor transmission of blood and body fluids. Immunization of healthy persons against hepatitis B. A vaccine against hepatitis C is expected soon.

The blood supply of most nations is tested for bloodborne pathogens like
Hepatitis B Hepatitis C Elevated liver enzymes in the blood that might indicate hepatitis. Malaria (transmitted by mosquitoes) HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)

Carmel Science Olympiad Team

Thank you for your hard work and thought today.