Facts you should know about onchocerciasis Photo of a blackfly; SOURCE: CDC Onchocerciasis is a parasitic disease that may cause blindness. It occurs mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and a few isolated areas in the Americas (Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela) and is transmitted by blackfly bites. It is called river blindness as the blackfly...
What Is whooping cough? Whooping cough also known as pertussis is a highly contagious cough condition caused by bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. While it is usually not a major concern for adults, it can be fatal to infants and children who haven’t yet received their pertussis vaccine. Whooping cough is also called pertussis. It is...
Meningitis facts Inflammation of the meninges is called meningitis. Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes (meninges) that surround the brain and spinal cord. Infectious diseases like bacteria or viruses, a fungus, or parasites can cause meningitis. Some cases of meningitis can be noninfectious in origin. Headache, fever, and stiff neck are the most common symptoms...
Facts you should know about NDM-1 NDM-1 stands for a gene that produces New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase in certain bacteria that cause infections. This is a substance that destroys the commonest types of antibiotics. Bacteria with the NDM-1 gene are part of a larger group of superbug bacteria that are extremely hard to treat and can...
Tetanus facts Picture of Clostridium tetani, with spore formation (oval forms at end of rods). Source: CDC/Dr. Holdeman Tetanus is frequently a fatal infectious disease. Tetanus is caused by a type of bacteria (Clostridium tetani). The tetanus bacteria often enter the body through a puncture wound, which can be caused by nails, splinters, insect bites,...
Measles facts Measles on a child's back by Watney Collection/Phototake A virus causes measles, a potentially serious disease that spreads easily. Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. Measles symptoms and signs include dry cough, conjunctivitis, runny nose (coryza), and high fever. Many patients will get sick 7 to 14 days after exposure and will...
Necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease) facts 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,...
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...
Microcephaly facts* *Microcephaly facts medical author: Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD Microcephaly is a condition where the head (circumference) is smaller than normal. Microcephaly may be caused by genetic abnormalities or by drugs, alcohol, certain viruses, and toxins that are exposed to the fetus during pregnancy and damage the developing brain tissue. Unfortunately, a 2015-2016...
This digitally colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicts four green-colored, spheroid-shaped methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria as they were in the process of being enveloped by a much larger human white blood cell.Source: CDC – National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Facts you should know about MRSA infections Staphylococcus aureus (Staph aureus, S....