4.

2 The Classification of Infectious Diseases

Infectious iseases may be classified by their causing agents (etyology):
1. Viral diseases - caused by viruses
2. Bacterial diseases - caused by bacteria
3. Fungal diseases - caused by fungi
4. Parasitic diseases - caused by parasitic protozoa, helminths, arachnids and insects.
5. Transmissional diseases are those infectious diseases which are tranferred host-to-host by some
transmitting organism (the vector).
There are two types of these diseases, obligate transmissional and facultative transmissional.

Obligate transmissional are those diseases that can only be transmitted through a vector
Facultative transmissive are those diseases which may be transmitted with or without a vector, i.e.
the vector is not absolutely necessary.

Infectious diseases may also be classified according to organism they infect.

1. Anthroponoses are human-only diseases,
2. Anthropozoonoses are diseases of both humans and animals.
3. Zoonoses are diseases passed from animal to animal.
4.3 Classification of Infection Paths
According to the effort expended by the parasite to enter a host, the methods used by the disease-causing
agents are termed either active or passive.

Active methods involve adult parasites or active parasite larvae invade the host by themselves
Passive methods involve the parasites entering the host without apparent effort.

There are five major pathways for a parasite to invade. These are the exogenous, endogenous,
transplacentaic, transovarial and transmissive paths.
1. The exogenous (through the outside) path involves parasites entering the host through the skin.
The contact path involves the host touching infected matter, with parasites invading both actively or
passively.
The percutaneous (through the skin) path involves the parasites invading through preexisting skin
lesions - scratches, ulcers, wounds, etc.
2. The endogenous (through the inside) pathway involves parasites invading through the natural openings of
the body.
The alimentary (peroral or 'through the mouth') path involves the invasive forms of parasites
passively entering through the mouth into the digestive tract when the host consumes contaminated
waterand food, or if the host fails to observe proper hygiene
The contact path through sexual contact with an infected partner.
Through the nose, eyes and ears. Some parasiti insects may enter this way and lay eggs, from which
larvae will hatch. Contamination by the parasites' excreta or other parasite cysts and eggs
mechanically transported by the insects (on legs, body or mouth parts) may also occur.
3. The transplacentaic (through the placenta) path involves the parasites invading through the placenta of an
infected host into the foetus
4. The transovarial (though the ova) path involves a parasite infecting the host's ovaries, and thus infecting
the host's progeny.

5. The transmissive (through a vector) path involves the parasite infecting through a vector, typically
bloodsucking insects and arachnids.
For transmissive diseases, the methods parasites use to enter the host are classified into inoculation,
contamination, and combined transmission.

Inoculation involves the parasite entering the host when the vector is sucking blood. Entry may
occur through the vector's saliva and mouth parts. Inoculation is further subdivided into specific and
mechanical inoculation.

Specific inoculation refers to the cases when a disease-causing agent is transmitted only through
specific spieces of vectors.
Mechanical inoculation, on the other hand, may occur through various vectors (i.e. there is no
specific vector).

Contamination occurs when the vector infects the host through its excreta stomach contents or, its
haemolymph infested with disease-carrying agents, which then may enter the host. Contamination
may be either specific or mechanical.

specific contamination is the infection with disease causing-agent, transmitted by the specific
vectors
mechanical contamination is the infection with causative agents for intestinal diseases from the
contaminated excreta or vomit of non-specific vectors

Combined transmission involves the possibility of infection both via inoculation and
contamination.

5. Sylvatic (in the Wild) and Synanthropic (Domestic) Reservoirs of Infectious Diseases
It is a feature of many infectious diseases that their causing agents may survive in the wild, and infect new
hosts, whether through vectors or directly, independently of humans. The locations where infectious
diseases persist independently of humans are known as sylvatic reservoirs, and the diseases as sylvatic
reservoir diseases.
5.1 The Structure of a Sylvatic Reservoir
A sylvatic reservoir consists of the following components (note that a single organism may serve as several
components at once):
1. Disease-causing agents. May be viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, helminths, arachnids or insects.
2. A Source. It is a diseased animal in which the parasite develops, reproduces, and is passed to other hosts.
3. Reservoir Hosts. Hosts that serve as temporary refuge for parasites.
4. Vectors. Typically bloodsucking arthropods (mosquitoes, ticks fleas, lice, etc.). Mechanical vectors may
include flies and cockroaches.
5. Recipients. These are the wild animals which serve as intermediate or definitive hosts for the parasites,
and suffer from the diseases caused by them.
6. Territory. The physical location in which the above components coexist: forest, lake, desert, river, etc.
The diseases found in sylvatic reservoirs may be classified into the following groups:

1. Invasional sylvatic reservoir diseases. These include such protozooses as well as various helminthoses
2. Viral, bacterial and fungal sylvatic reservoir diseases.
3. Transmissive diseases. Diseases that require or use a vector to spread
4. Non-transmissive diseases. These have no typical vector, with infection occurring through direct contact
or through ingestion
5.2 Properties of Sylvatic Reservoirs
The typical properties that characterise a sylvatic reservoir are:
1. The disease-causing agents, vectors and reservoir hosts can survive and circulate in the wild
independently from humans.
2. The reservoir is a system consisting of the parasites, their hosts, and any vectors. Any number of wild
animal spieces may be involved.
3. The location of a reservoir, rather than being random-shaped, usually closely coincides with some
geographical feature: a forest, a mountain, a desert, a jungle patch, a lake, etc. as well as with certain
climatic conditions (i.e. temperature and humidity).
4. There are seasonal fluctuations in the activity of a reservoir. In Lithuania, for example, Lyme disease tends
to emerge in the spring, summer and early autumn, while helminthoses tend to appear in the autumn and
winter.
There is a number of factors that may appear both accidentally or on purpose and that will influence the state
of a reservoir:
1. Biological factors. Certain animals and parasites may destroy other animal or parasite populations.
2. Chemical factors. The presence of acids, bases or poisons, such as herbicides, pesticides or fungicides.
3. Mechanical factors. Draining of swamps, logging, or the destruction of scavenging or diseased animals
5.3 The Structure of a Synanthropic Reservoir
Due to the varied and not always well-thought-out human activity, disease reservoirs may form in the
immediate vicinity to where human beings live. They are known as synanthropic (close to humans) or
domestic reservoirs. The structure of such reservoirs is very much like that of a sylvatic reservoir.
1. 1. Disease-causing agents. May be viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, helminths, arachnids or insects.
2. A Source. Diseased domestic animals and humans.
3. Reservoir Hosts. All manner or animals, both domestic and living near the home..
4. Vectors. Typically bloodsucking arthropods (mosquitoes, ticks fleas, lice, etc.). Mechanical vectors may
include flies and cockroaches, and also pets or farm animals (cats, dogs, birds, pigs, cattle, rats, mice, etc.).
5. Recipients. Humans and domestic animals that get infected with the diseases.
6. Territory. A house, a flat, a yard, a park, a kindergarten, a school or a workplace, etc.