Measles is a communicable disease caused by a virus - Edexcel - GCSE Biology Combined Science - Question 5 - 2020 - Paper 1
Question 5
Measles is a communicable disease caused by a virus.
(a)
(i) What can a virus also be classified as?
A A bacterium
B a fungus
C a pathogen
D a protist... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Measles is a communicable disease caused by a virus - Edexcel - GCSE Biology Combined Science - Question 5 - 2020 - Paper 1
Step 1
What can a virus also be classified as?
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Answer
A virus can be classified as a pathogen since it is an agent that causes disease.
Step 2
Give one reason why measles is described as a communicable disease.
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Answer
Measles is described as a communicable disease because it can be easily spread from person to person through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Step 3
Which type of cell is destroyed by the HIV virus?
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Answer
The cell type destroyed by the HIV virus is the white blood cell. Specifically, it targets CD4 cells, which are crucial for the immune response.
Step 4
Describe how the specific immune system defends the body against disease.
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The specific immune system defends the body against disease through a series of steps:
Antigen Recognition: Pathogens have unique molecules called antigens that trigger an immune response.
Antibody Production: Lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) are activated to produce antibodies that specifically bind to the antigens, leading to the destruction of the pathogen.
Memory Creation: After the initial response, memory lymphocytes are produced, allowing the immune system to mount a faster response if re-exposed to the same pathogen in the future.
