What causes us to get sick? Many people answer that by saying "germs." Illnesses can be caused by bacteria, protists, or viruses. An agent that causes disease is called a pathogen. In the following activity you will ready some short descriptions of diseases and their causes.

Interactive exercise. Assistance may be required. Directions:

  1. Scroll over each disease to read about it.
  2. Read the short descriptions of the diseases.
  3. Complete the table by dragging the correct disease to the disease column to match the cause, effects and mode of transmission.