Glossary

Glossary
Adjuvant: A substance which enhances the body's immune response to an antigen.

Amoeba: A shapeless single celled organism.

Anopheles Mosquito: The type of mosquito which acts as a vector for the plasmodium parasite which causes Malaria.

Antibodies: A blood protein produced in order to counteract a specific antigen.

Antigen: A toxin or other foreign substance that induces an immune response in the body.

Arachnid: A class of joint legged invertebrate animals with eight legs.

Cell (biological): The structural, functional and biological unit of all organisms.

Contagious (a disease): The spread of a disease from one organism to another one through direct or indirect contact.

Fungi: A group of single cellular or multicellular spore producing organisms feeding on organic matter.

Host (biological): An organism that harbours a parasite.

Inflammation: When the body becomes red, swollen, hot and often painful.

Immune System: A system that protects the body from foreign substances and pathogenic organisms by producing an immune response.

Intestinal Walls: The inner walls of the intestine.

Mammals: Warm blooded animals that reproduces by giving birth to their young and not by laying eggs.

Mortality Rate: The ratio of a measurement of deaths in a certain area.

Mutate: To naturally change or cause change.

Organism: An individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form.

Pandemic: A disease that spreads over the whole country or the world.

Parasitic Infection: The infection or sickness caused by the parasite.

Pencil Catfish: A type of catfish that is usually very thin and small.

Reproductive Larvae: The immature form of an insect, when fully grown reproduces with another larvae to make eggs.

Tumor: A swelling to a part of the body, caused by an abnormal growth of tissue.

Vaccine: A substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases.

Vector: The carrier of a disease or parasite. It is usually not affected by the parasite, but passes it on to other    organisms.