Noun. 1. chordate-any animal of the phylum Chordata having a notochord or spinal column. animal, animate being, beast, creature, fauna, brute-a living organism characterized by voluntary movement. Chordata, phylum Chordata-comprises true vertebrates and animals having a notochord.cephalochordate-fish-like animals having a notochord rather than a true spinal column. tunicate, urochord, urochordate-primitive marine animal having a saclike unsegmented body and a urochord that is conspicuous in the larva.hordata, phylum Chordata-comprises true vertebrates and animals having a notochord. cephalochordate-fish-like animals having a notochord rather than a true spinal column. tunicate, urochord, urochordate-primitive marine animal having a saclike unsegmented body and a urochord that is conspicuous in the larva.
In more than half of all cases, rheumatic fever may affect the heart valves (rheumatic carditis) and interfere with normal blood flow through the heart. Even without treatment, though, only about three people out of every 10 who have a strep throat infection develop rheumatic fever.
The poliovirus affected, in many different patterns, the nerve cells in the lower brain (bulbar) and spinal cord that control the muscles of the body. Poliovirus does not damage the lung tissue or the nerves to the airway muscle. When the bulbar nerves were destroyed (bulbar polio), the muscles of the throat were weakened. This resulted in choking during eating and a diminished ability to cough.