Question

Explain organ-specific and tissue-specific manifestations of the disease.

Answer 1

Organ and tissue-specific manifestations include the impacts of disease on specific organs and tissues in which the pathogen infests.

1. Organ-specific manifestations of diseases:

• This includes the impact of the disease-causing pathogen on an organ.
• It could lead to degradation of the organ structure and dysregulation in the functions of the organ.
• For instance, infection of the brain by the Zika virus causes an inflammation of the brain leading to encephalitis. This increases the intracranial pressure and also causes an overall neurological dysfunction.

2. Tissue-specific manifestations of diseases:

• This includes the impact of the disease on a particular tissue of the organ system.
• It leads to a disruption in the structure and function of the particular tissue.
• For instance, during cholera, Vibrio cholerae causes infection of the intestinal tissue of the digestive system. It leads to dysregulated water reabsorption causing acute diarrhea however the other tissues of the organ system (eg: mouth, esophagus,) aren't affected.