Download Infectious Diseases Complied by Chaplain Larry W. Pope, M.Div

Infectious Diseases
Complied by Chaplain Larry W. Pope, M.Div., PhD.; Sarah Pope, B.A., RN
From http://en.wikipedia.org/
Chickenpox highly contagious illness caused by primary infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV). It
usually starts with vesicular skin rash mainly on the body and head rather than at the periphery and
becomes itchy, raw pockmarks, which mostly heal without scarring. Chickenpox is an airborne
disease spread easily through coughing or sneezing of ill individuals or through direct contact with
secretions from the rash. A person with chickenpox is infectious one to two days before the rash
appears.
Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a species of Gram-positive bacteria of the genus Clostridium that causes
severe diarrhea and other intestinal disease when competing bacteria in the gut flora have been wiped
out by antibiotics. Clostridia are anaerobic, spore-forming rods (bacilli).[2] C. difficile is the most serious
cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) and can lead to pseudomembranous colitis, a severe
infection of the colon, often resulting from eradication of the normal gut flora by antibiotics.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower
intestine of warm-blooded organisms (endotherms). Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some
serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for product
recalls.The harmless strains are part of the normal flora of the gut, and can benefit their hosts by
producing vitamin K2 and by preventing the establishment of pathogenic bacteria within the intestine.
E. coli cells are a major component of feces, and fecal-oral transmission is the major route through
which pathogenic strains of the bacterium cause disease. Cells are able to survive outside the body for a
limited amount of time, which makes them ideal indicator organisms to test environmental samples for
fecal contamination.
Gonorrhea The usual symptoms in men are burning with urination and penile discharge. Women, on
the other hand, are asymptomatic half the time or have vaginal discharge and pelvic pain. In both men
and women if gonorrhea is left untreated, it may spread locally causing epididymitis or pelvic
inflammatory disease or throughout the body, affecting joints and heart valves.
Influenza (flu) is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae (the
influenza viruses), that affects birds and mammals. The most common symptoms of the disease are
chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness/fatigue and general
discomfort.[1] Although it is often confused with other influenza-like illnesses, especially the common
cold, influenza is a more severe disease than the common cold and is caused by a different type of
virus.[2] Influenza may produce nausea and vomiting, particularly in children,[1] but these symptoms are
more common in the unrelated gastroenteritis, which is sometimes called inaccurately "stomach flu."[3]
Flu can occasionally cause either direct viral pneumonia or secondary bacterial pneumonia.
Hepatitis A is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV),[1] an RNA
virus, usually spread the fecal-oral route; transmitted person-to-person by ingestion of contaminated
food or water or through direct contact with an infectious person.
Hepatitis B which infects the liver of hominoidea, including humans, and causes an inflammation called
hepatitis. Originally known as "serum hepatitis",[1] the disease has caused epidemics in parts of Asia and
Africa, and it is endemic in China.
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease affecting the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV).[1] The
infection is often asymptomatic, but once established, chronic infection can progress to scarring of the
liver (fibrosis), and advanced scarring (cirrhosis), which is generally apparent after many years. In some
cases, those with cirrhosis will go on to develop liver failure or other complications of cirrhosis, including
liver cancer[1] or life threatening esophageal varices and gastric varices.
Hepatitis D is a disease caused by a small circular enveloped RNA virus. It is one of five known hepatitis
viruses: A, B, C, D, and E. HDV is considered to be a subviral satellite because it can propagate only in the
presence of the hepatitis B virus (HBV).[1] Transmission of HDV can occur either via simultaneous
infection with HBV (coinfection) or superimposed on chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis B carrier state
(superinfection).
Hepatitis E is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA icosahedral virus with a 7.5 kilobase genome. HEV
has a fecal-oral transmission route. It is one of five known hepatitis viruses: A, B, C, D, and E. Infection
with this virus was first documented in 1955 during an outbreak in New Delhi, India.
Herpes simplex is a viral disease caused by both Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2).
Infection with the herpes virus is categorized into one of several distinct disorders based on the site of
infection. Oral herpes, the visible symptoms of which are colloquially called cold sores or fever blisters,
infects the face and mouth. Oral herpes is the most common form of infection. Genital herpes, known
simply as herpes, is the second most common form of herpes. Other disorders such as herpetic whitlow,
herpes gladiatorum, ocular herpes (keratitis), cerebral herpes infection encephalitis, Mollaret's
meningitis, neonatal herpes, and possibly Bell's palsy are all caused by herpes simplex viruses.
Herpes varicella zoster virus (VZV) is one of eight herpes viruses known to infect humans (and other
vertebrates). It commonly causes chicken-pox in children and Herpes zoster (shingles) in adults and
rarely in children.
HIV/AIDS a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows lifethreatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. Infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of
blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculate, or breast milk.
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known
collectively as the meninges.[1] The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or
other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs.[2] Meningitis can be life-threatening because
of the inflammation's proximity to the brain and spinal cord; therefore the condition is classified as a
medical emergency.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium responsible for several difficult-totreat infections in humans. It may also be called multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or oxacillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (ORSA). MRSA is, by definition, any strain of Staphylococcus aureus that
has developed resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics which include the penicillins (methicillin,
dicloxacillin, nafcillin, oxacillin, etc.) and the cephalosporins. MRSA is especially troublesome in hospitals
and nursing homes where patients with open wounds, invasive devices and weakened immune systems
are at greater risk of infection than the general public.
Mononucleosis (Mono) Infectious mononucleosis (IM; also known as EBV infectious mononucleosis or
glandular fever or Pfeiffer's disease or Filatov's disease[1] and sometimes colloquially as the kissing
disease from its oral transmission or simply as mono in North America and as glandular fever in other
English-speaking countries) is an infectious, widespread viral disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus
(EBV), one type of herpes virus, to which more than 90% of adults have been exposed.
Pertussis (Whooping cough) is a highly contagious bacterial disease caused by Bordetella pertussis.
Symptoms are initially mild, and then develop into severe coughing fits, which produce the namesake
high-pitched "whoop" sound in infected babies and children when they inhale air after coughing.[1] The
coughing stage lasts for approximately six weeks before subsiding. In some countries, this disease is
called the 100 days' cough or cough of 100 days.
Scabies known colloquially as the seven-year itch,[2] is a contagious skin infection that occurs among
humans and other animals. It is caused by a tiny and usually not directly visible parasite, the mite
Sarcoptes scabiei, which burrows under the host's skin, causing intense allergic itching. The infection in
animals (caused by different but related mite species) is called sarcoptic mange.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) As of today, the spread of SARS has been fully contained,
with the last infected human case seen in June 2003 (disregarding a laboratory induced infection case in
2004). However, SARS is not claimed to have been eradicated (unlike smallpox), as it may still be present
in its natural host reservoirs (animal populations) and may potentially return into the human population
in the future. The disease may be transmitted from objects but is most often transmitted by direct skinto-skin contact, with a higher risk with prolonged contact. Initial infections require four to six weeks to
become symptomatic.
Sepsis is a potentially deadly medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory
state (called a systemic inflammatory response syndrome or SIRS) and the presence of a known or
suspected infection.[1][2] The body may develop this inflammatory response by the immune system to
microbes in the blood, urine, lungs, skin, or other tissues. A lay term for sepsis is blood poisoning, more
aptly applied to septicemia, below. Severe sepsis is the systemic inflammatory response, plus infection,
plus the presence of organ dysfunction.
Staphylococcal infection (Staph) is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria which includes several species
that can cause a wide variety of infections in humans and other animals through either toxin production
or invasion. Staphylococcal toxins are a common cause of food poisoning, as they can be produced in
improperly-stored food.
Syphilis The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact however it may also be transmitted
from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth resulting in congenital syphilis. The signs and
symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent,
and tertiary). The primary stage classically presents with a single chancre (a firm, painless, non-itchy skin
ulceration), secondary syphilis with a diffuse rash which frequently involves the palms of the hands and
soles of the feet, latent syphilis with little to no symptoms, and tertiary syphilis with gummas,
neurological, or cardiac symptoms. It has however been known as "the great imitator" due to its
frequent atypical presentations. Diagnosis is usually via blood tests however the bacteria can also be
visualized under a microscope. Syphilis can be effectively treated with antibiotics, specifically
intramuscular penicillin G and in those who are allergic ceftriaxone is recommended.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a common and in many cases lethal infectious disease caused by various strains of
mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis.[1] Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also
affect other parts of the body. It is spread through the air when people who have an active MTB
infection cough, sneeze, or otherwise transmit their saliva through the air.[2] Most infections in humans
result in an asymptomatic, latent infection, and about one in ten latent infections eventually progresses
to active disease, which, if left untreated, kills more than 50% of its victims. The classic symptoms are a
chronic cough with blood-tinged sputum, fever, night sweats, and weight loss (the last giving rise to the
formerly prevalent colloquial term "consumption").
Viral pneumonia Viruses are one of the two major causes of pneumonia, the other being bacteria; less
common causes are fungi and parasites. Viruses are the most common cause of pneumonia in children,
while in adults bacteria are a more common cause.