Communicable (Infectious) Diseases (AQA GCSE Biology)

Revision Note

Test Yourself
Lára

Author

Lára

Expertise

Biology Lead

Pathogens & Prevention of Diseases

  • Communicable diseases have a range of causes (pathogens)
  • Pathogens may be viruses, bacteria, protists and fungi; they are microorganisms that cause infectious disease
  • They can infect both plants and animals
    • Bacteria – reproduce rapidly and can affect the host by releasing toxins, these damage tissues and make us feel unwell, (see Bacterial Diseases)
    • Viruses – need a host to survive and reproduce, (see Viral Diseases)
    • Fungi – grow on living tissue, some are single-celled and others have a body made of hyphae, see (Fungal Diseases)
    • Protists – eukaryotic organisms some of them are parasitic, that live on or inside the host organism. They are often transferred by vectors, (see Protists)

Pathogen spread table

Pathogen spread table, downloadable IGCSE & GCSE Biology revision notes

Exam Tip

Pathogens can be spread by a range of transmission methods – you need to be able to explain how these are transmitted and some ways to prevent the transmission of these.Remember that bacteria produce toxins that damage cells and viruses are replicated inside cells. This links to how antibiotics are effective against bacteria but not viruses (see Antibiotics and Painkillers).

You've read 0 of your 0 free revision notes

Get unlimited access

to absolutely everything:

  • Downloadable PDFs
  • Unlimited Revision Notes
  • Topic Questions
  • Past Papers
  • Model Answers
  • Videos (Maths and Science)

Join the 80,663 Students that ❤️ Save My Exams

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

Did this page help you?

Lára

Author: Lára

Lára graduated from Oxford University in Biological Sciences and has now been a science tutor working in the UK for several years. Lára has a particular interest in the area of infectious disease and epidemiology, and enjoys creating original educational materials that develop confidence and facilitate learning.