infectious disease

What is intravenous immunoglobulin therapy? Because intravenous immunoglobulin therapy increases a patient's immune response, doctors prescribe it in many circumstances in the hope it can help the patient heal when other treatments fail. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy is a treatment for people whose immune system is compromised due to a genetic disorder or an acquired …

What is intravenous immunoglobulin? Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) is made up of pooled plasma of more than 1,000 donors. It's used for a variety of conditions. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy is a treatment for people with weakened immune systems. Intravenous immunoglobulins are antibodies prepared from pooled plasma of over 1,000 healthy blood donors. The pooled plasma samples are purified before administration. …

What is a sore throat? Strep throat is caused by a bacteria. A sore throat is irritation and scratchiness in the throat accompanied by pain that often worsens with swallowing. A sore throat is often the first warning sign of an infection. The most common cause of a sore throat is a viral infection. Rarely, a bacterial infection can cause …

Adenovirus 14 (Ad14) facts Adenovirus 14 is one of a group of viruses that can cause infections of the lung, stomach, intestine, and eyes. It is very contagious. Adenovirus 14 (Ad14) is termed the killer cold virus because of the high incidence of hospitalizations and deaths attributed to the viral strain. Ad14 viruses are passed person to person or picked …

How does a person get hepatitis? There are many different ways in which a person can get hepatitis, including sexual contact, blood transfusion, sharing needles, and more. A person can get hepatitis A through the following sources: Food or water contaminated with the fecal matter of an infected person Sexual contact (rare)  A person can get hepatitis B in many …

Shingles result from the activation of the chickenpox virus already present, but inactive (dormant), in nerve tissues. The virus remains dormant in spinal nerves usually after the person has had chickenpox as a child. The varicella-zoster virus that causes shingles can spread to others causing chickenpox in patients who have not had it in the past. It is not possible …

Shingles is a reactivation of the dormant herpes zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Shingles is often triggered by severe stress, trauma or an illness. Shingles (herpes zoster) is caused by varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Sometimes, in patients with a history of chickenpox, the virus may live in the nervous system for years …

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) facts Enterococci (genus Enterococcus) are bacteria that commonly live in the bowel and are usually resistant to many antibiotics. VRE are enterococci that have become resistant to the antibiotic vancomycin. There are only a few antibiotics that are able to treat VRE infections. However, newer antibiotics are being developed. People can be colonized with VRE, meaning that …

Facts you should know about scarlet fever Picture of rash on the arm due to scarlet fever. Source: CDC Scarlet fever is a bacterial infection caused by group A Streptococcus bacteria that results in a rash and fever. Group a beta hemolytic streptococci produce an erythrogenic toxin that causes scarlet fever. The incubation period for scarlet fever is about 12 …

What is hepatitis? Common causes of hepatitis are viruses, infections, alcohol, drugs, toxins, and others. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. It can occur due to a variety of factors, but the most common cause is a virus infection. Hepatitis can be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term) and can have fatal complications. The liver is in the right upper …