Human health and disease
Read the following passage carefully and answer the given questions.
Diseases like typhoid, cholera, pneumonia, fungal infections of skin, malaria and many others are a major cause of distress to human beings. Our immune system plays the major role in preventing these diseases when we are exposed to disease-causing agents. If the pathogens succeed in gaining entry to our body, specific antibodies and cells serve to kill these pathogens. AIDS and cancer kill a large number of individuals worldwide. AIDS is fatal but can be prevented if certain precautions are taken. Many cancers are curable if detected early and appropriate therapeutic measures are taken. Drug and alcohol abuse among youth and adolescents is becoming another cause of concern.
Which one of the following statements is correct regarding disease and its causative agent?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Common cold is caused by Rhino viruses.
Each pathogen causes its own disease, and the pairs must be known.
(1) The most serious and fatal malignant malaria is caused by Plasmodium vivax. — Incorrect. The most serious, malignant malaria is caused by Plasmodium falciparum. It can even be fatal. P. vivax causes a milder type of malaria.
(2) Wuchereria bancrofti causes ringworms. — Incorrect. Wuchereria is a roundworm that causes filariasis. Ringworm is a fungal disease caused by Microsporum, Trichophyton and Epidermophyton.
(3) Common cold is caused by Rhino viruses. — Correct. They infect the nose and the respiratory passage, but not the lungs.
(4) Salmonella bacteria causes pneumonia. — Incorrect. Salmonella typhi causes typhoid. Pneumonia is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae.
Note: The passage is taken from NCERT. NTA has put lines of the NCERT text together to make it. Most CUET (UG) questions come straight from NCERT, so study the book line by line, including figures and their titles.
NCERT Extract:
Common Diseases in Humans – “… Many viruses also cause diseases in human beings. Rhino viruses represent one such group of viruses which cause one of the most infectious human ailments – the common cold. They infect the nose and respiratory passage but not the lungs. The common cold is characterised by nasal congestion and discharge, sore throat, hoarseness, cough, headache, tiredness, etc., which usually last for 3-7 days. Droplets resulting from cough or sneezes of an infected person are either inhaled directly or transmitted through contaminated objects such as pens, books, cups, doorknobs, computer keyboard or mouse, etc., and cause infection in a healthy person. Some of the human diseases are caused by protozoans too. You might have heard about malaria, a disease man has been fighting since many years. Plasmodium, a tiny protozoan is responsible for this disease. Different species of Plasmodium (P. vivax, P. malaria and P. falciparum) are responsible for different types of malaria. Of these, malignant malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum is the most serious one and can even be fatal.”