Capnocytophaga facts <a href="../script/main/submit-patient-comments.asp?questionid=6111" title="Please share your experience with a Capnocytophaga infection.” onclick=”wmdTrack(‘pc-drv-share’);” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow ugc”>Share Your Story A lick or bite from a dog can transmit Capnocytophaga bacteria to a person. Capnocytophaga is a genus of bacteria that live in the mouths of humans and animals and can cause severe infections in certain people....
Botulism facts The botulinum toxin, produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacteria, can cause severe, deadly food poisoning. Researchers have also harnessed it cosmetically and therapeutically to paralyze specific muscles. The botulism neurotoxin is one of the most potent, lethal substances known. Botulism is a disease caused by this neurotoxin (specifically A, B, E, or F...
How hepatitis C is transmitted As per the public health department, hepatitis C is not considered transmissible through food. Studies show that patients with hepatitis C may not be required to be barred from any job including working in the kitchen. However, you should take extra precautions and be extra hygienic. As per the public...
Bocavirus facts Bocavirus are members of the Parvoviridae virus family that are small (20 nm), non-enveloped viruses with single-stranded DNA. Bocavirus is found usually in infants and children who are hospitalized with pneumonia or diarrheal symptoms. Bocavirus is often detected in patients who are infected with other viruses. Although some investigators suspect bocavirus to cause...
What is mastoiditis? If mastoiditis is diagnosed early, it may be treated with antibiotics to kill the infection. More serious cases could require intravenous (IV) antibiotics, antibiotic injections as well as topical and oral antibiotics. Mastoiditis is a bacterial infection in the mastoid bone of the skull. It can be quite painful and is a...
Facts you should know about schistosomiasis Life cycle of schistosomiasis Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by Schistosoma organisms that can cause acute and chronic infection. Many symptoms of schistosomiasis infection frequently include fever, blood in stools or urine, and abdominal discomfort. The immune response and Schistosoma egg migration through tissues and their deposition in...
Cat scratch disease facts* The child has enlarged lymph nodes (adenopathy) in the armpit (axilla) that developed on the same side of the body after being scratched by a cat on the back of the hand. *Cat scratch disease facts by John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP Cat scratch disease (CSD) is a bacterial disease caused...
Mad cow disease facts *Mad cow disease facts medically edited by Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD Mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE) is a progressive neurological disorder. Mad cow disease is caused by an infectious transmissible agent termed a prion. Mad cow disease was first noted in the 1970s and is thought to...
What is Balamuthia? <a href="../script/main/submit-patient-comments.asp?questionid=6070" title="Please share your experience with Balamuthia.” onclick=”wmdTrack(‘pc-drv-share’);” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow ugc”>Share Your Story Balamuthia mandrillarisis a free-living ameba (a single-celled living organism) found in the environment. It is one of the causes of granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE), a serious infection of the brain and spinal cord. Balamuthia is thought to enter...
Bourbon virus disease facts Share Your Story Bourbon virus is a newly discovered RNA virus that causes serious illness in humans. The Lone Star tick carries the Bourbon virus in the southern U.S. and Midwest. Bourbon virus is uncommon, and it is unclear how often ticks may carry or transmit it to humans. The cases...