Tag Archives: infectious disease

Brain eating amoeba (Naegleria fowleri) infection facts Naegleria fowleri is also known as the brain-eating amoeba. Naegleria is easy to miss if doctors do not look for it. Like bacterial meningitis, diagnosis requires a spinal tap (lumbar puncture). Naegleria fowleri is an ameba (amoeba) that is common throughout the world and lives in soil and warm freshwater. When conditions …

A boy has a staph infection on his arm.Source: iStock Facts you should know about a staph infection Staphylococcus (sometimes called "staph") is a group of bacteria that can cause a multitude of diseases. Staph infections may cause disease due to direct infection or due to the production of toxins by the bacteria. Boils, impetigo, food poisoning, cellulitis, and toxic …

Viruses cause some of the most common infections all over the world, including COVID-19. Here are the most common viral infections. Viruses are tiny germs that cause some of the most common infections all over the world, including the current global COVID-19 pandemic.  Some of the most common viral infections include: Common cold Influenza (flu) Herpes Chickenpox Mumps Human papillomavirus …

Yaws is an infectious disease that mainly occurs in the tropical areas of South and Central America, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. The disease is caused by a bacterium called Treponema pertenue, which causes lesions that look like bumps on the skin of the feet, hands, face, and genital area. Yaws is treated with penicillin or another antibiotic. Yaws …

Facts you should know about West Nile virus Picture of a mosquito transmitting West Nile virus to a human West Nile virus (WNV) is a virus capable of causing disease in humans. Symptoms and signs of West Nile virus include fever, headache, body aches, skin rash, and swollen lymph nodes. Severe symptoms and signs may include stiff neck, sleepiness, disorientation, …

Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) is a disease caused by the inhalation of the Coccidioides immitis or C. posadasii fungus. Symptoms are flu-like and resolve over two to six weeks. Infection typically requires no treatment, though there are many antifungal drugs to treat valley fever. Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) is a disease caused by fungi (Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii species) that in …

Microsporidiosis is an infection caused by the microsporidia parasite. The disease is uncommon in people with normal immune systems. Symptoms in people with immune deficiency include diarrhea, malabsorption, gallbladder disease, cough, labored breathing, urinary tract infection, bowel perforation and keratoconjunctivitis. Microsporidiosis treatment depends on the site of infection and the species of microsporidia involved. Microsporidiosis is a disease caused by …

Monkey B virus is a herpes virus that mainly affects macaque monkeys but in rare cases can be transmitted to humans and cause serious illness Monkey B virus (also called simian B virus, herpesvirus B, H simiae, or simply the B virus) is a type of herpes virus that mainly infects macaque monkeys. Although monkey B virus infection in humans …

Facts you should know about monkeypox Figure 1: Monkeypox virus, brick-shaped negative stained virus grown in tissue cultures, visualized by electron microscopy; SOURCE: CDC/Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Inger K. Damon, and Sherif R. Zaki Monkeypox is a viral disease that produces pox-like lesions on the skin. It is closely related to smallpox but is not nearly as deadly as smallpox was. …

Facts you should know about necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating bacteria) Picture of necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease) in the lower leg Necrotizing fasciitis refers to a rapidly spreading infection, usually located in fascial planes of connective tissue that results in tissue death (necrosis). Different types of bacterial infection can cause necrotizing fasciitis. The majority of cases begin with an existing infection, most …