How do pathogens make us sick?
How does an infection lead to symptoms and illness? What specific mechanisms do microbes use to damage host cells? This unit emphasizes how pathogens lead to impairment of host systems via disrupting structure and function.
Lesson 1: Why do we feel sick – how pathogens cause direct and indirect damage (pdf)
Lesson 2: Toxins – Botox, tetanus, hamburger disease and MRSA (pdf)
Lesson 3: How do bacteria adapt to become pathogens? the adaptation auction (pdf)
Lesson 4: How do viruses make us sick – viral replication (pdf)
Lesson 5: How do viruses adapt? antigenic shift and direft and the flu pandemic (pdf)
Lesson 6 : Designing an antiviral drug – the challenge of HIV
Lesson 7: Putting together the strategies pathogens use – what kind are you?
Infectious Disease Blog: Unit 4 Further Reading