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Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Biology Your notes
Diseases & Immunity

Contents
Pathogens & Barriers
Controlling the Spread of Disease
Active Immunity
Antigens & Antibodies
Vaccination
Preventing the Spread of Disease
Passive Immunity & Breastfeeding
Cholera
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Pathogens & Barriers

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Pathogens
A pathogen is a disease-causing organism
Pathogens are passed on from one host to another and therefore the diseases they cause are known
as transmissible diseases
Pathogens can be passed on from host to host in different ways, including:
Direct contact - the pathogen is passed directly from one host to another by transfer of body
fluids such as blood or semen (eg HIV, gonorrhoea, hepatitis B & C)
Indirect contact - the pathogen leaves the host and is carried in some way to another, uninfected
individual
Methods of Transmission Table
The Body Defences

There are 3 main ways in which the body defends itself against disease:
1)
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Mechanical barriers – structures that make it difficult for pathogens to get past them and into the body
a) Skin - covers almost all parts of your body to prevent infection from pathogens. If it is cut or grazed, it Your notes
immediately begins to heal itself, often by forming a scab
b) Hairs in the nose - these make it difficult for pathogens to get past them further up the nose so they are
not inhaled into the lungs
2)
Chemical barriers – substances produced by the body cells that trap / kill pathogens before they can get
further into the body and cause disease
a) Mucus - made in various places in the body, pathogens get trapped in the mucus and can then be
removed from the body (by coughing, blowing the nose, swallowing etc)
b) Stomach acid - contains hydrochloric acid which is strong enough to kill any pathogens that have been
caught in mucus in the airways and then swallowed or have been consumed in food or water
3)
Cells - different types of white blood cell work to prevent pathogens reaching areas of the body they can
replicate in
a) By phagocytosis - engulfing and digesting pathogenic cells
b) By producing antibodies - which clump pathogenic cells together so they can’t move as easily (known
as agglutination) and releasing chemicals that signal to other cells that they must be destroyed
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Your notes
The simplest way to prevent disease is to stop pathogens from spreading
This means using simple measures such as good hygiene and effective sanitation and waste disposal
to contain pathogens and dispose of them safely
Preventing the Spread of Disease Table
Measure to Importance
prevent spread
Clean water Safe drinking water ensures water is free of pathogens which will prevent
supply waterborne diseases e.g. cholera.
Hygienic food Washing hands with soap, correct food cooking methods and hygienic
preparation preparation of food will help to prevent contamination of food with harmful
bacteria and fungi,
Personal hygiene Washing with soap or using tissues to catch sneezes and coughs and then
disposing of them will reduce transmission of diseases such as colds and flu.
Waste disposal Proper disposal of waste e.g. food waste will reduce the prevalence of pests e.g.
flies that can act as vectors for transmissible diseases.
Sewage Treatment of sewage removes harmful pathogens from waste before it is released
treatment into the environment. This reduces the risk of diseases spreading in contaminated
water.
FlashcardsNext topic
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Active Immunity
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Active Immunity: Extended
Extended Tier Only
Making antibodies and developing memory cells for future response to infection is known as active
immunity
There are two ways in which this active immune response happens:
The body has become infected with a pathogen and so the lymphocytes go through the process
of making antibodies specific to that pathogen
Vaccination
Active immunity is slow acting and provides long-lasting immunity
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Antigens & Antibodies

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Antigens & Antibodies: Extended
Extended Tier Only
All cells have molecules, such as proteins, projecting from their cell membranes
These are known as antigens
Different individuals have different antigens on their cell surface membranes
Lymphocytes can recognise foreign antigens, e.g. the antigens of a pathogen inside the body
In response to foreign antigens lymphocytes make antibodies which are complementary in shape to
the antigens on the surface of the pathogenic cell
Lymphocytes producing antibodies diagram
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Your notes
Lymphocytes produce antibodies that are specific to a particular type of antigen
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The role of antibodies

Antibodies can attach to antigens and cause agglutination of pathogens Your notes
This means the pathogenic cells cannot move around very easily
At the same time chemicals are released that signal the presence of pathogens to phagocytes
Phagocytes move towards the site of an infection where they engulf and destroy pathogens
Many pathogens can be engulfed together due to agglutination
Phagocytes and agglutination diagram
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Your notes
Agglutinated pathogens cannot move around so phagocytosis can occur more easily
Immunity
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The initial response of a lymphocyte encountering a pathogen for the first time can take a few days,
during which time an individual may get sick
Your notes
After an initial encounter with a pathogen, lymphocytes can give rise to memory cells that retain the
instructions for making specific antibodies
This means that in the case of reinfection by the same type of pathogen, antibodies can be made very
quickly and in greater quantities; the pathogens are destroyed before they multiply and cause illness
This is how people become immune to certain diseases after only having them once
Note that this does not work with all disease-causing microorganisms as some of them mutate quickly
and change the antigens on their cell surface
Therefore, if they invade the body for a second time the memory cells made in the first infection will
not produce antibodies that match the new antigens
EXAMINER TIP
Make sure you know the difference between antigen, antibody and antitoxin:
An antigen is a molecule found on the surface of a cell
An antibody is a protein made by lymphocytes that is complementary to an antigen and, when
attached, clumps them together and signals the cells they are on for destruction
An antitoxin is a protein that neutralises the toxins produced by bacteria
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Vaccination
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Vaccination: Extended
Extended Tier Only
Vaccinations give protection against specific diseases and boost the body’s defence against
infection from pathogens without the need to be exposed to dangerous diseases that can lead to
death
The level of protection in a population depends on the proportion of people vaccinated
Vaccines allow a dead or altered form of the disease-causing pathogen, which contains specific
antigens, to be introduced into the body
In this weakened state, the pathogen cannot cause illness but can provoke an immune response
Lymphocytes produce complementary antibodies for the antigens
The antibodies target the antigen and attach themselves to it in order to create memory cells
The memory cells remain in the blood and will quickly respond to the antigen if it is encountered again
in an infection by a ‘live’ pathogen
As memory cells have been produced, this immunity is long-lasting
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Your notes
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Your notes
Vaccination
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Preventing the Spread of Disease

Your notes
Preventing the Spread of Disease: Extended
Extended Tier Only
If a large enough percentage of the population is vaccinated, it provides protection for the entire
population because there are very few places for the pathogen to breed - it can only do so if it enters
the body of an unvaccinated person
This is known as herd immunity
If the number of people vaccinated against a specific disease drops in a population, it leaves the rest
of the population at risk of mass infection, as they are more likely to come across people who are
infected and contagious This increases the number of infections, as well as the number of people who
could die from a specific infectious disease
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Your notes
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Herd immunity
Herd immunity prevents epidemics and pandemics from occurring in populations Your notes
This is the reason that many vaccinations are given to children, as they are regularly seen by medical
practitioners and can be vaccinated early to ensure the entire vaccinated population remains at a high
level
In certain instances, vaccination programmes are run with the aim of eradicating certain dangerous
diseases, as opposed to controlling them at low levels
An example of a disease which has been eradicated as a result of a successful vaccination programme
is smallpox, which was officially eradicated in 1980 after a vaccination programme run by the World
Health Organisation since the mid-1950s
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Your notes
Passive immunity is a fast-acting, short-term defence against a pathogen by antibodies acquired
from another individual
Antibodies pass from mother to infant via breast milk - this is important as it helps the very young to
fight off infections until they are older and stronger and their immune system is more responsive
The body does not make its own antibodies or memory cells in passive immunity, hence the name
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Cholera
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Cholera
Cholera causes diarrhoea
Diarrhoea is the loss of watery faeces from the anus
If it is severe and continues for a long time, it can lead to death
Severe diarrhoea can cause the loss of significant amounts of water and ions from the body, causing
the tissues and organs to stop working properly
It can be effectively treated by oral rehydration therapy
This is a drink with a small amount of salt and sugar dissolved in it
There are many causes of diarrhoea, one of which is infection with Vibrio cholerae bacteria, which
causes the disease cholera
How does Vibrio cholerae cause diarrhoea?
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Your notes
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How cholera leads to diarrhoea

Ingested via infected water or food, if it enters the small intestine it can cause illness in the following Your notes
way:
1. Bacteria attach to the wall of the small intestine
2. They produce a toxin
3. The toxin stimulates the cells lining the intestine to release chloride ions from inside the cells into the
lumen of the intestine
4. The chloride ions accumulate in the lumen of the small intestine and lower the water potential there
5. Once the water potential is lower than that of the cells lining the intestine, water starts to move out of
the cells into the intestine (by osmosis)
6. Large quantities of water are lost from the body in watery faeces
7. The blood contains too little chloride ions and water
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Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Biology Your notes

Diseases & Immunity

Pathogens & Barriers

The Body Defences

Controlling the Spread of Disease

Antigens & Antibodies

Lymphocytes produce antibodies that are specific to a particular type of antigen

The role of antibodies

Preventing the Spread of Disease

Passive Immunity & Breastfeeding

How does Vibrio cholerae cause diarrhoea?

How cholera leads to diarrhoea

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