Bacteria
Gonorrhea—Neisseria gonorrhoeae—painful urination & discharge in males; often fewer symptoms in females
Syphilis—Treponema pallidum—disease occurs in 3 stages—1st sore at point of entry; 2nd rash over skin & mucous membranes; 3rd lesions called gummas
Chlamydia infection--Chlamydia trachomatis—few immediate symptoms but can cause damage & scarring to internal reproductive organs of females
AIDS—HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)—loss of immune system function—can be transmitted by contact with infected blood or other body fluids, often but not necessarily by sexual contact
Genital herpes—Herpes sjmplex virus type 2—recurring outbreaks of painful blisters on genitals
Hepatitis B—chronic infection which may be spread by sexual transmission and other ways such as exposure to infected blood—liver damage, may be chronic
Cervical cancer—HPV (human papilloma virus)—genital warts which sometimes lead to development of cervical & uterine cancer
Trichomoniasis—Trichomonas vaginalis—vaginitis with purulent discharge in females; often no symptoms in males
AIRBORNE DISEASES
Bacteria
Streptococcal pharyngitis (strep throat) & scarlet fever—Streptococcus pyogenes—high fever, sore throat, also rash if scarlet fever
Tuberculosis—Mycobacterium tuberculosis—usually lung infection, sometimes bone or other tissue
Legionnaires’ disease—Legionella pneumophila—severe pneumonia
Pneumococcal pneumonia—Streptococcus pneumoniae--pneumonia
Diphtheria—Corynebacterium diphtheriae—respiratory infection may result in formation of membrane composed of fibrin & dead cells that may block larynx & pharynx; heart affected by toxin
Pertussis (whooping cough)—Bordatella pertussis--very severe cough that lasts for weeks
Bacterial meningitis—Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitides, Streptococcus pneumonaie are common causative agents—infection of brain & spinal cord—often progresses rapidly and can be fatal
Colds—mostly coronaviruses & rhinoviruses
Influenza—respiratory symptoms, fever, aches
Chicken pox—varicella-zoster, a herpes virus—vesicles on skin with itching but not pain—may recur later in life after lying dormant in nerve cells and is then called shingles—in this case vesicles occur but also severe pain in affected area
Measles—fever & skin rash but may lead to complications such as enchphalitis
German measles (rubella)—similar to measles but much milder disease—big danger is damage to fetus during pregnancy
Mumps—inflammation & swelling of parotid glands
Smallpox—variola virus—severe purulent lesions on skin but death due to damage to internal organs—has been eliminated as naturally occurring disease but concern over possibility of use in germ warfare
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome—severe pneumonia with fluid collecting in lungs—inhalation from droppings of infected rodents
Viral pneumonia—respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is most frequent cause
Histoplasmosis—Histoplasma capsulatum—inhalation of spores, begins in lungs but may spread to almost any internal organ—often associated with bird droppings
Blastomycosis—Blastomyces dermatidis—inhalation & lung involvement but may also cause skin lesions with abscesses & tissue destruction
Coccidiodomycosis—Coccidiodes immitis—begins with lungs but may spread to other organs
Cryptococcosis—begins in lungs due to inhalation of spores—may spread to other internal organs including brain
FOODBORNE &
WATERBORNE DISEASES
Bacterial food poisonings—toxin is already present when food is consumed
Staphylococcal food poisoning—some strains of Staphylococus aureus—violent vomiting & diarrhea but relatively short-lived
Botulism—Clostridium botulinum—neurotcxin that blocks transmission of nerve impulses to skeletal muscle causing flaccid paralysis
Bacterial infections—living bacteria in body cause the trouble
Salmonellosis—Salmonella—fever, nausea, diarrhea—usually lasts for several days—often associated with raw poultry
Typhoid fever—Salmonella typhi—high fever & headache, diarrhea later in disease—can be fatal
Campylobacter infections—fever, cramping, pain, diarrhea
Helicobacter infections—Helicobacter pylori—cause of most stomach ulcers
Cholera—Vibrio cholerae—violent vomiting & diarrhea with extreme fluid loss
Vibrio parahaemolyticus—milder GI upset (but still bad) usually associated with shellfish
Travelers’ diarrhea—strains of Escherichia coli that produce enterotoxin
Shigellosis—Shigella species—bacillary dysentery
Listeriosis—Listeria monocytogenes—mild flulike illness in most but can cause severe damage to fetus or miscarriage
Polio—headache, sore throat, fever, paralysis in small percentage of cases
Rotavirus diarrhea—really bad “stomach virus”
Norwalk gastroenteritis—regular “stomach virus” but still miserable
Hepatitis A—nausea & diarrhea, liver is affected but not as severely as in hepatitis B
Mononucleosis—Epstein-Barr virus—fever, sore throat, enlarged lymph nodes & spleen—spread in saliva
Amoebic dysentery—Entamoeba histolytica—diarrhea & damage to intestinal wall—may be associated with produce such as lettuce
Giardiasis—Giardia lamblia—prolonged diarrheal disease—often associated with drinking water from outdoor sources such as streams & ponds
Tocxoplasmosis—can be contracted from undercooked meat or by inhalation & ingestion of oocysts from cat feces—damage to fetus
ARTHROPOD-BORNE
DISEASES
Bacteria
Plague—Yersinia pestis—spread by fleas that have bitten infected rodents—can also be inhaled (pneumonic plague)
Rocky Mountain spotted fever—Rickettsia rickettsii—most common in southeaster US—spreaed by tick bites—fever, rash and sometimes dadmage to internal organs—can be fatal
Lyme disease—Borrelia burgdorferi—chronic infection of joints & occasionally heart—spread by deer tick
Yellow fever—spread by bite of Aeges aegypti mosquito—chills, fever, headache, nausea vomiting, liver damage causes jaundice & sometimes death
Dengue fever—transmitted by same mosquito—fever & extremely severe muscle & joint pain (breakbone fever)
West Nile fever—only recently occurring in US—fever, sometimes encephalitis that can be fatal, particularly in the elderly—spread by mosquitos
Malaria—Plasmodium species—spread by bite of Anopheles mosquito—chills & fever, anemia
Chagas’ disease—Trypanosoma cruzi—spread by “kissing” bugs—damage to heart muscle or nerves that supply colon or esophagus
African sleeping sickness—Trypanosoma brucei gambiense—flagellates enter by bite of tsetse fly, migrate to cerebrospinal fluid—cause coma-like condition
DIRECT CONTACT
Bacteria
Tetanus—Clostridium tetani—anaerobe that may establish an infection in puncture wounds & produce a toxin that leads to severe convulsions
Gas gangrene—Clostridium perfringens—wound infection causes spreading necrosis of tissue; often fatal without proper treatment
Stpahylococcal infections
Tularemia—Francisella tularensis—ulcer at infection site—enlarged lymph nodes which often drain pus—can also be inhaled & this form may be fatal
Anthrax—Bacillus anthracis—cutaneous form causes nasty ulcer; inhalation form highly fatal lung infection; GI form follows ngestion & is highly fatal also
Brucellosis
Pseudomonas infections
Leprosy—Mycobacterium leprae—requires prolonged close contact for transmission—areas of skin lose sensation, nodules form—deformation of hands & face
Rabies—transmitted in saliva of infected animal (or person)—fatal encephalitis
Warts—papilloma viruses—unlike genital warts, these are relatively harmless
Ringworm & other dermatomycoses—Microsporum, Trichophyton, Epidermophyton species
Candidiasis—Candida albicans—causes infections of mucous membrane of vagina (vaginitis) or mouth (thrush)—usually occurs when bacteria in area are suppressed by antibiotics and normal flora fungi flourish