Facts you should know about anthrax Anthrax is an infection by bacteria, Bacillus anthracis, usually transmitted from animals. Anthrax causes skin, lung, and bowel disease and can be deadly. Anthrax is diagnosed using bacterial cultures from infected tissues. There are four types of anthrax: cutaneous, inhalation, gastrointestinal, and injection. Anthrax is treated by antibiotics. Pulmonary...
What is mono? Mono symptoms like fever, swollen glands, sore throat, and fatigue may be contagious for up to 18 months. Mono is short for mononucleosis, a viral disease most commonly caused by an infection of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Once a person has EBV, the virus begins to shed in the throat and is...
What is Cryptococcus? Cryptococcus is a type of fungus that is found in the soil worldwide, usually in association with bird droppings. The major species of Cryptococcus that causes illness in human is Cryptococcus neoformans. Another less common species that can also cause disease in humans, Cryptococcus gattii, has been isolated from eucalyptus trees in...
What is antibiotic resistance? Antibiotics are medications used to kill or slow the growth of bacteria and some fungi. Antibiotics are not effective in treating infections caused by viruses. The definition of antibiotic resistance is the adaptive change in bacteria (mutation) that allows them to grow in the presence of a drug (an antibiotic) that...
Amebiasis facts The cause of amebiasis is mainly the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. Life cycle of E. histolytica; SOURCE: CDC Amebiasis is a disease caused by infection with a parasitic amoeba that, when symptomatic, can cause dysentery and invasive extraintestinal problems. The cause of amebiasis is mainly the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. Some risk factors...
Facts you should know about cholera Cholera is a disease that causes foul-smelling diarrhea that looks like rice water. Cholera is a disease caused by bacteria that produce a watery diarrhea that can rapidly lead to dehydration. Cholera symptoms and signs include a rapid onset of copious, smelly diarrhea that resembles rice water and may...
Facts you should know about Aspergillus infection Share Your Story Fungi (mold) can cause an Aspergillus infection. Aspergillus is a genus name that represents over 185 fungal species, some of which cause several types of aspergillosis (fungal allergy or infection) in humans. The causes of an Aspergillus infection are fungi (mold). Risk factors include the...
Both shingles and chickenpox are caused by the same virus, so you can get shingles if you have had chickenpox Both shingles and chickenpox are caused by the same virus, varicella zoster. If you have had chickenpox, the virus can lay dormant in your body’s nerve cells and come back later as shingles. So yes,...
Facts you should know about brucellosis Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria termed Brucella; the disease is found mainly in animals (zoonotic infection), but humans can be infected with these bacteria. Brucellosis has been described as long as 2,000 years ago, and the organisms finally were identified in 1887; the disease is worldwide...
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) facts CRE bacteria are germs that have developed a hearty resistance to antibiotics. CRE infections are quite difficult to treat, leading to the term "superbugs" to describe the organisms. CRE (also termed carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae) are bacteria that have developed resistance to multiple antibiotics, including carbapenem. CRE can cause many types of infections...