Question

How does a pathogenic bacterium infect an organism? Medals. :)

Answer 1

1. Exposure: Exposure can occur in numerous ways including air, water, exposure to bodily fluids, or physical contact.
2. Adherence: Microorganisms adhere to the cells to which they have the strongest attraction. Many bacteria have surface molecules that bind to complementary receptor molecules on the surfaces of certain types of animal cells. This is why bacteria can cause illness in some organisms, but not in others.
3. Invasion: A pathogen must gain entrance and multiply before it can do damage. Once the organism penetrates skin through a small cut, it can enter the host and begin to multiply.
4. Colonization and Growth: Colonization requires that bacteria cells bind to host cells and overcome a host's immune system response. This requires appropriate temperature, pH, and nutrients in its growth environment.
5. Toxicity: When a person becomes ill, it isn't necessarily due to large numbers of bacteria in their body, but the toxins, or poisons, produced by the bacteria.
6. Tissue Damage or Disease: Large amounts of bacteria cells can block blood vessels or clog air passages. Toxins can spread throughout the body, damaging tissue, and initiating strong immune responses that can cause their own complications. Fever, swelling, inflammation, and clogged mucous membranes are just some of side effects of immune system responses.

Answer 2

Summary:

First, you are exposed to the pathogen, then comes adherence, when the bacteria attaches to other cells. Then there’s invasion, where it invades then starts to multiply. They continue to bind to host cells and overcome the immune system response. After that, they release the toxins that make us ill, and end up damaging tissue or giving us diseases. Fever, swelling, inflammation, and clogged mucous membranes are just some of side effects of immune system responses.