Pathogens Packet – Bacteria Viruses Protozoa Fungi Parasites and Prions
Learn all about the six major types of pathogens in this new 100-page Pathogens Packet on Bacteria, Viruses, Fungi, Parasites and More!!!
This biology packet introduces students to the living and nonliving types of pathogens. Bacteria, protozoa, fungi and parasites/worms are all living pathogens. Viruses and prions are examples of non-living pathogens.
This new Pathogens Packet has been added to the Biology BUNDLE.
If you purchased the Biology Bundle previously feel free to email me if you need your download link again if you can’t find it in your PayPal email!~Liesl
In the beginning of they year my youngest daughter did a biology unit on ecology which covered everything from biomes and ecosystems to feeding relationships/food webs and populations. Towards the end of that unit, we talked about the biological relationships among different species. Some relationships between animals (or plants) or beneficial, while others are harmful.
Once we completed our Biology Unit, we moved on to looking more closely at those harmful interactions. We did a huge unit on Pathogens.
- What diseases are caused by bacteria? viruses?
- What causes malaria? Yes, mosquitoes carry it, but did you know protozoa actually cause the disease?!
- What kinds of diseases can you get from fungi?
- What are prions? How do they cause diseases?
- What is the structure of bacteria? of viruses?
- How do they replicate?
- What causes mumps? typhoid fever? tetanus? rabies? small pox? the flu? strep throat? cholera? By the end of this unit, you and your kids will know what causes these diseases and more!!
We started with a discussion of pathogens and some pathogenic organisms they might already be familiar with… worms in dogs, diseases caused by mosquitoes, diseases prevented by childhood disease and so forth. We then went on to introduce the living and nonliving types of pathogens. Living pathogens include parasites, protozoa, fungi and bacteria. Nonliving pathogens include viruses and prions. We talked about some of the diseases produced by these six types of pathogens.
My daughter did a number of homework assignments researching some of the diseases caused by worms, fungi and protozoa (and later on in the unit on bacteria and viruses).
In the next part of the unit, we covered bacteria. We talked about
- Bacterial structure
- How scientists identify bacteria
- The importance of bacteria (and how they can be beneficial)
- How we can defend against bacterial pathogens
- Antibiotics (and antibiotic resistance – development of superbugs)
Next we discussed viruses. Some topics we covered included
- What is a virus?
- Is a virus living or nonliving?
- Bacteria vs. Viruses
- Diseases caused by viruses
- The structure of viruses; why viruses have spikes
- Virus life cycle
- Viruses in animals and plants
- Transmission of viruses
- Bacteriophages
- Viral latency
- Fighting infection
- Phagocytes
As we wrapped up the unit, we did some review work. 
The kids spent time sorting through some of the traits and characteristics of bacteria and viruses. And, they also did a sorting activity and worksheet on the different diseases caused by bacteria and by viruses.
Note: This Pathogen Packet touches on parasites/worms, fungi, protozoa and prions, but the large majority of this packet goes into detail about bacteria and viruses.
What age is the Pathogens Packet for? I recommend this for middle school or high school. My daughter is 13 and is currently in middle school. 
We did this unit after the Biology Packet. My older daughter (16) is really interested in this unit and wants to do it later this spring after her physics class ends. I would also suggest that your kids have a little knowledge about cells and cell structure, though I included a couple of review pages on eukaryotic vs. prokaryotic cells (enough to get by if you don’t want to do a full unit on cells or if your kids need some review like my daughter did!).
What if I don’t have PayPal account? PayPal doesn’t make it clear, but you DO NOT have to have a PayPal account to make a purchase. Here are instructions (with pictures!) on How to pay with a credit card.
Our packets are PDF digital downloads. Be sure to check your PayPal email address for the download link. Feel free to email me with questions or problems! ~Liesl
Our 100+page Pathogens Packet is $8.99
Again, this is included in the Biology BUNDLE. See details and LOTS OF PICTURES of the units in this Bundle here at the Biology BUNDLE Page.
Pathogens Packet (100 pages)
$8.99
Be sure to check your PayPal email address for the download link.
These Biology Packets can be purchased together or separately:
Don’t forget to check your PayPal email address for the download link from SendOwl (the automatic delivery service I use)!
$44.99 Biology BUNDLE of 7: 1) Biology Unit (Biomes, habitats, food chains/webs, feeding relationships) 2) Scientific Classification & Taxonomy Packet 3) Ocean Unit & Layers of the Ocean/Ocean Zone Activities 4) Cells Unit 5) Botany Unit 6) Pathogens Unit – Bacteria, Protozoa, Fungi, Parasites/worms; Viruses and Prions 7) New! The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
See details and LOTS OF PICTURES of these units here at the Biology BUNDLE Page.
$8.99 Biology Unit: Biomes, habitats, ecosystem, biological interactions, feeding relationships (170 pages) – This is a zipped file because there are 2 PDFs. Be sure to email me if you need any help with the download.
$8.99 Cells Unit (150+ pages) – cell theory, prokaryotic vs. eukaryotic cells, animal vs. plant cells, organelles of the cell, chloroplast anatomy, the layers of a leaf, photosynthesis and more.
$7.99 Botany Packet — (80 pages) Plant Classification, Life Cycle of the Moss, Fern, Conifer, Angiosperms, Parts of a Flower, Parts of a Seed, Seed & Fruit Development, Monocots vs Dicots – plus Carnivorous Plants Mini-Unit
$8.99 Ocean Unit – Layers of the Ocean/Ocean Zone: (100+ pages) Marine Habitats, Coral Reefs, Tide Pools, Water Form Words, Ocean navigation, Features of the ocean floor, salinity, ocean tides & currents, ocean life, bioluminescence & more!
$7.99 Scientific Classification and Taxonomy Packet (100 pages) dichotomous key activity, Linnaeus & the history of classification, learn the Animalia phyla (Annelids, Platyhelminthes, Nematodes, Cnidaria, Animalia, etc.)
$8.99 Pathogens Packet (100 pages) – This unit covers the six major living and nonliving pathogens: bacteria, protozoa, fungi and parasites/worms as well as viruses and prions. The large majority of this packet goes into detail about bacteria and viruses.
$5.99 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis Packet (50+ pages) – This unit covers topics/terms such as cell division, cell death (apoptosis), nucleosomes, histones, binary fission, chromatin, chromosomes, centromere, sister chromatids, and the lifespan of human cells as well as the stages of the cell cycle including interphase (G1, S, G2) and mitosis (prophase, anaphase, metaphase, telophase, cytokinesis)
cytokinesis)
Again, you can see the Biology BUNDLE Page for lots more pictures!
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You might be interested in some of our other BUNDLES:
Earth Science BUNDLE
Big Animal BUNDLE, for early elementary
Chemistry Bundle
Human Body BUNDLE
Spelling BUNDLE
Our Spelling BUNDLE currently consists of 8 pdfs. Pictures are provided below! 1. Long A & Long I Packet; 2. Long E Packet; 3. ou/ow oy/oi au/aw Packet; 4. /er/ Sound Packet; 5. /k/ Sound Packet; 6. /ul/ Sound Packet; 7. ie/ei Words Packet; 8. Plurals – add -s or -es These packets are also sold separately. See this spelling page for more details.
