Some areas of the genitourinary tract are normally sterile, whereas other areas have a variety of microbiota. Describe the defense mechanisms of the genitourinary tract that contribute to this dichotomy
What will be an ideal response?
A variety of defense mechanisms are associated with the genitourinary tract, but the primary one is the flow of urine through the urethra. This flow keeps many pathogens out, and therefore, the only microbes that can colonize this area tend to colonize the end of the urethra closest to the surface of the body. Often, pathogenic microbes can resist this flow and migrate toward the bladder and kidneys. Overall, however, the urinary organs of both sexes and the male reproductive tract above the prostate should be sterile under normal conditions. In females, microbes enter the vagina and colonize the nutrient-rich mucous membrane in this area; however, most vaginal pathogens are inhibited by the acidic pH generated by normal microbiota such as Lactobacillus.
Bloom's Taxonomy: Comprehension
Section: Structures of the Urinary and Reproductive Systems
Learning Outcome: 24.3
You might also like to view...
Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a membrane in response to the concentration of one or more of the ______
A. solutes B. membranes C. compartments D. cells
Charged atoms are termed
A. ions. B. neutrons. C. molecules. D. polymers.
Rice plants may be tolerant or intolerant to flooding. A true-breeding tolerant plant was crossed with a true-breeding
intolerant plant, and approximately 75% of the F1 generation was tolerant to flooding. What does this most likely suggest about the flood-tolerant and flood-intolerant alleles?
a. Multiple alleles control flood-tolerance. b. The alleles for flood-tolerance and flood-intolerance are codominant. c. The allele for flood-tolerance is incompletely dominant. d. The allele for flood-intolerance is dominant, while the allele for flood-tolerance is recessive. e. The allele for flood-tolerance is dominant, while the allele for flood-intolerance is recessive.
Which codons specify the amino acid lysine (lys)?
1.UUU and UUC
2.AGA and AGG
3.AAU and AAC
4.AAA and AAG