1. What are the conflicting interests of pathogens and hosts in infectious diseases?
2. Define disease and infectious disease.
3. What are the modes of transmission for infectious diseases?
4. Explain the terms epidemic, epizootic, zoonosis, endemic, and pandemic.
5. What is the difference between incidence and prevalence in the context of infectious
diseases?
6. Describe the three lines of defense against pathogens.
7. What are the cellular and chemical defenses involved in innate immunity?
8. Explain the concept of adaptive immunity and its components.
9. Name the different types of lymphocytes and their functions in the immune system.
10. What are antigen-presenting cells and their role in the immune response?
11. Define parasites and give examples of different types of parasites.
12. Explain the terms definitive host, intermediate host, and reservoir host in relation to
parasites.
13. What are the different life cycles of parasites?
14. How do parasites adapt and manipulate their hosts?
15. Can parasites alter human behavior? Provide examples.
16. What is Toxoplasma gondii and how is it transmitted to humans?
17. Describe the stages of Toxoplasma gondii infection and the associated diseases.
18. How does Toxoplasma gondii alter host behavior?
19. What is the relationship between Toxoplasma gondii infection and psychiatric
disorders?
20. What are fungi, and what is the structure of a fungus?
21. What is a mycosis?
22. Give examples of fungal infections, such as Histoplasma capsulatum and
mucormycosis.
23. Describe the structure of viruses and their classification based on nucleic acid types.
24. Explain the difference between DNA viruses and retroviruses.
25. Provide an overview of HIV and AIDS, including their transmission and global impact.
26. How does HIV replicate and infect host immune cells?
27. What is the role of CD4 molecules and CCR-5 receptors in HIV infection?
28. What is immunosuppression, and how does it relate to HIV infection?
29. Why is HIV difficult to treat and develop a vaccine against?
30. Define opportunistic infections (OIs) and explain their significance in HIV/AIDS.
31. How is HIV transmitted, and what factors increase transmission risk?
32. How does the presence of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) affect HIV
transmission?
Prions:
1. What is the defining characteristic of prions that distinguishes them from other
infectious agents?
2. Define spongiform encephalopathies and explain the spongelike appearance of the
brain associated with these diseases.
3. What are the clinical manifestations of Kuru, and why was it more common in
cannibalistic cultures?
4. Describe the symptoms and characteristics of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
(vCJD).
5. What are the main symptoms of Scrapie, and how does it manifest in affected
animals?
6. Discuss the symptoms and effects of Fatal Familial Insomnia on sleep and mental
function.
7. What are the three main causes of prion diseases?
8. Explain why prion diseases were initially thought to be caused by slow viruses and
why this hypothesis was later disproven.
9. Who first proposed that prion diseases might be caused by a protein, and what term
did they coin for the infectious particle?
10. Describe the difference between normal prion protein (PrPc) and disease-causing
prion protein (PrPsc or PrPres) in terms of their chemical properties and
conformation.
11. How is the replication of prions hypothesized to occur, and what is the cause of
neuronal death in prion diseases?
12. Discuss the various roles of normal cellular prions in neuronal functions and cellular
processes.
13. What are the main treatment approaches for prion diseases, and why is it
challenging to develop effective therapies?
14. Name five known human spongiform encephalopathies and briefly describe each.
15. What is the main transmission route for variant CJD, and why do all reported cases
share a specific human genotype?
16. Why is definitive evidence of a protein-only agent still lacking in prion diseases, and
what is the current understanding of the prion theory?
17. Discuss the implications of prions crossing the species barrier and the transmission of
animal spongiform encephalopathies to humans.
18. Summarize the key challenges and limitations in the diagnosis and treatment of prion
diseases.
19. What is the significance of prion research in understanding other neurodegenerative
diseases?
20. Reflect on the validity of the prion theory and its acceptance in the scientific
community today.