Germs: Protection against bacteria, viruses and infections (2023)

FAQs

What are 3 ways to prevent infection from bacterial diseases? ›

Wash your hands with soap and water throughout the day. Get recommended vaccinations to prevent infectious diseases such as measles and chickenpox. Practice safer sex to protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) Stay home when ill.

The immune system's job: defend against disease-causing microorganisms. Its goal is to keep us healthy. The immune system is a vast and complex interconnected network of many different organs, cells and proteins that work together to protect the body from illness.

The term "germs" refers to the microscopic bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa that can cause disease.

Hand hygiene. Use of personal protective equipment (e.g., gloves, masks, eyewear). Respiratory hygiene / cough etiquette.

In those situations, use as many prevention strategies as you can, such as practicing hand hygiene, consistently and correctly wearing a high-quality mask, improving ventilation, and keeping your distance, when possible, from the person who is sick or who tested positive.

Sterilization and decontamination through heat is the most effective way to control microbial growth. There are ways to selectively inhibit the growth of only certain microorganisms, like the use of antibiotics.

The innate immune system is the body's first line of defense against germs entering the body. It responds in the same way to all germs and foreign substances, which is why it is sometimes referred to as the "nonspecific" immune system.

This protection is called immunity. Humans have three types of immunity — innate, adaptive, and passive: Innate immunity: Everyone is born with innate (or natural) immunity, a type of general protection. For example, the skin acts as a barrier to block germs from entering the body.

How does the body protect itself from infection? ›

When harmful microbes (tiny particles) enter and invade the body, the body produces white blood cells to fight the infection. The white blood cells identify the microbe, produce antibodies to fight it, and help other immune responses to occur. They also 'remember' the attack. This is how vaccinations work.

Pathogens that cause infectious diseases are viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites and, rarely, prions. You can get infectious diseases from other people, bug bites and contaminated food, water or soil.

Proper hand washing is the most effective way to prevent the spread of infections in hospitals. If you are a patient, don't be afraid to remind friends, family and health care providers to wash their hands before getting close to you.

Hand washing is one of the simplest, most effective ways to prevent the spread of many types of infection and illness, including foodborne illness.

Vitamin C was found to be beneficial against various groups of infectious agents including bacteria, viruses, Candida albicans, and protozoa (Table 2).

1) Oysters, beef, pork chop, black eyed peas, pumpkin seeds- all of these foods are high in the mineral Zinc which helps to keep viruses from attaching to cells and helps prevent them from replicating. Zinc levels in your body may take time to build up, so start eating or supplementing early.

Most infectious bacteria and viruses bind to sugars on the surface of our cells. Most of the viruses feed on sugar.

Keep your germs to yourself:

Always wash your hands after sneezing, blowing your nose, or coughing, or after touching used tissues or handkerchiefs. Use warm water and soap to wash your hands. If you don't have soap and water, use alcohol-base hand gel or disposable wipes.

How is bacteria treated? ›

Antibiotics are used to treat or prevent some types of bacterial infection. They kill bacteria or prevent them from reproducing and spreading. Antibiotics aren't effective against viral infections.

Use an anti-malware app - Installing an anti-malware app and keeping it up to date can help defend your PC against viruses and other malware (malicious software). Microsoft Defender is free anti-malware software included with Windows, and it's kept updated automatically through Windows Update.

Four Steps to Food Safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill. Following four simple steps at home—Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill—can help protect you and your loved ones from food poisoning.

Neutrophils and macrophages are both phagocytic cells known for ingesting bacteria and producing antimicrobial peptides, reactive oxygen species and other enzymes to fight infection.

White blood cells: Serving as an army against harmful bacteria and viruses, white blood cells search for, attack and destroy germs to keep you healthy. White blood cells are a key part of your immune system.

The human body has three primary lines of defense to fight against foreign invaders, including viruses, bacteria, and fungi. The immune system's three lines of defense include physical and chemical barriers, non-specific innate responses, and specific adaptive responses.

Types of immunity: Active natural: Body produces antibodies in response to exposure to a live pathogen. Active artificial: Body produces antibodies in response to a vaccine. Passive natural: Antibodies are passed from the mom to her baby through the placenta and breastmilk.

The adaptive immune response in B cells, Helper T cells and Cytotoxic T cells involved four phases: encounter, activation, attack, and memory.

There are two types of immunity: active and passive.

Innate immunity provides the first line of defense against invading bacteria. The skin and mucous membranes provide physical and chemical barriers to infection. The normal bacterial flora antagonize colonization of body surfaces by nonindigenous bacteria. The internal tissues invariably contain bactericidal substances.

What is the medical term for germ? ›

(jerm) A bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause infection and disease.

There are three main ways germs can be spread. These are by infected droplets (from a person or animal) being spread in the air, by germs in body fluids such as saliva, faeces, blood or urine contaminating a surface (contact) or by tiny particles spread into the air (airborne).

Where are Bacteria in the Human Body? Bacteria live on the skin, inside the nose, in the throat, in the mouth, in the vagina, and in the gut. The majority of the bacteria found in the body live in the human gut. There are billions of bacteria living there (Figure 2).

There are four types of bacteria that are extremely common within a household. Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Pseudomonas, and Bacillus are the most common types. Micrococcus is spherical, and can be found in meat products, in water, and in your soil.

The most deadly bacterial disease contracted by human beings is mycobacterium tuberculosis, the world's leading infectious disease with more than 1,700,000 deaths per year. As much as 13% of cases are resistant to most antibiotics, and about 6% are resistant or unresponsive to essentially all treatment.

Bacteria multiply rapidly between 40 and 140 degrees. Bacteria will not multiply but may start to die between 140 and 165 degrees. Bacteria will die at temperatures above 212 degrees. 2.3: How to Take Food Temperatures Know how to get an accurate reading with your thermometer!

While the best way is antivirus software, operating systems already come with programs like Windows Defender and Windows Security. There are also other, free programs like Avast and Kaspersky. They may seem simple, but they're highly effective at destroying Trojan horses, worms and spyware.

How does the body fight infection? ›

Antibodies. Antibodies help the body to fight microbes or the toxins (poisons) they produce. They do this by recognising substances called antigens on the surface of the microbe, or in the chemicals they produce, which mark the microbe or toxin as being foreign. The antibodies then mark these antigens for destruction.

Antibiotics are medicines that help stop infections caused by bacteria. They do this by killing the bacteria or by keeping them from copying themselves or reproducing. The word antibiotic means “against life.” Any drug that kills germs in your body is technically an antibiotic.

The bacteria in our bodies help degrade the food we eat, help make nutrients available to us and neutralize toxins, to name a few examples[7]; [8]. Also, they play an essential role in the defense against infections by protecting colonized surfaces from invading pathogens[8]; [9].

These specialized cells and parts of the immune system offer the body protection against disease. This protection is called immunity. Humans have three types of immunity — innate, adaptive, and passive: Innate immunity: Everyone is born with innate (or natural) immunity, a type of general protection.

These preventive stages are primordial prevention, primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention.