Infection
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
(Difference between revisions)
Revision as of 16:52, 7 July 2007 WikiSysop (Talk | contribs) ← Previous diff |
Revision as of 16:53, 7 July 2007 WikiSysop (Talk | contribs) Next diff → |
||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
- | {{Template}} | + | {{Template}}An '''infection''' is the detrimental [[colonization]] of a host [[organism]] by a foreign [[species]]. In an infection, the infecting organism seeks to utilize the [[host (biology)|host's]] resources to multiply (usually at the expense of the host). The infecting organism, or [[pathogen]], interferes with the normal functioning of the host and can lead to [[chronic wound]]s, [[gangrene]], loss of an infected limb, and even [[death]]. The host's response to infection is [[inflammation]]. Colloquially, a pathogen is usually considered a [[microscopic organism]] though the definition is broader, including [[Bacterium|bacteria]], [[parasite]]s, [[Fungus|fungi]], [[Virus|viruses]], [[prion]]s, and [[viroid]]s. A [[symbiosis]] between parasite and host, whereby the relationship is beneficial for the former but detrimental to the latter, is characterised as [[parasitism]]. The branch of [[medicine]] that focuses on infections and pathogens is '''[[infectious disease]]'''. |
+ | |||
{{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} |
Revision as of 16:53, 7 July 2007
Related e |
Featured: |
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Infection" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.