Infectious Diseases

Anthrax. It affects humans and animals and usually occurs through contact with contaminated animals or their products. It is characterized by symptoms such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, and skin lesions.

Meningitis can be caused by different types of microbes, including bacteria (such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis), viruses (such as enteroviruses and herpesviruses), fungi (such as Cryptococcus neoformans), and parasites (such as Naegleria fowleri). The specific cause of meningitis can vary depending on the age of the individual, underlying health conditions, and other factors.

Nursing interventions for anthrax involve administration of appropriate antibiotics, monitoring for signs of infection, providing supportive care such as IV fluids and oxygen therapy, and educating patients about the importance of completing the full course of antibiotics. In addition, infection control measures should be implemented to prevent the spread of the disease to other individuals.

Sanitizers can be effective in killing viruses and reducing their spread, but their effectiveness can vary depending on the type of sanitizer and the specific virus. It is important to use sanitizers correctly and in conjunction with other preventive measures such as handwashing and wearing masks to effectively combat viruses.

In rare cases a person can. Generally though, it is a one time deal. Measles are caused by a virus. After a healthy body is exposed to a virus it will create an anti-virus to fight it. When the person is recovered from the illness they will be immune. This is also how the measles vaccine works. The vaccine introduces a small amount of the virus for the body to create immunity to.

these are organisms that are not harmful or do not cause a problem in general

eg the bacteria that live in the digestive tract and are helpful in the digestive process. the bacteria food in food bio-yogurt, some cheese etc

The whole purpose of a virus is to replicate itself, it has no other function. To replicate, it must be able to invade and enter, or attach itself to a host cell from a living organism, like a plant, animal or human. Once attached, it can insert the DNA or RNA that it carries to bind with the cell's DNA and instruct the cell to stop what it normally does and begin to reproduce the virus instead.

The protein coat on the capsid ("shell") of the virus holds the specific proteins that the virus uses to be able to bind with or attach to the host's cell. For example with the A-H1N1/09 Pandemic Swine Flu, the proteins are the Hemagglutinin type (H) and Neuraminidase type (N). The Hemagglutinin aids in the attachment to the host cell for the invasion, the Neuraminidase works to open the host cell to release the newly created virus particles once they are developed. There are about 14 H types and 9 N types, and an influenza strain can have any combination of those. However most human flu strains are in the H 1, 2, or 3 types and N 1, and 2. Other animals have viruses that use more of the protein types such as avian (bird) flu, which is H5N1.

Our immune systems create antibodies that search for foreign invaders and they can use these proteins to identify the virus as foreign. The immune system will then create cells able to destroy the virus. These surface proteins are also mutated by some viruses to make them unidentifiable by the antibodies, and that is what can create a new strain of influenza.

Vaccines need to exactly match the virus to be able to cause our bodies to become immune to that particular strain. So if the virus mutates to have a different structure of surface proteins, the epidemiologists and virologists work with the vaccine producers to create a new vaccine to match the new version of the virus. Each year, these groups study what forms of viruses are circulating world wide and determine what strains need to be included in the vaccine for that year to protect against what is spreading. The Northern Hemisphere uses information from what is being collected during the flu season in the Southern Hemisphere to predict what will move to the Northern Hemisphere in the following flu season up there.

Bacillus anthracis is a gram positive, aerobic, endosporic bacteria. Human infection is usually through the cut or abrasion of the skin, resulting in cutaneous anthrax; however, inhaling spores may result in pulmonary anthrax, also known as woolsorter's disease. If spores reach the gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal antrax may result The principle virulence factor of B. anthracis are encoded on two plasmids- one involved in the synthesis of polyglutamyl capsule that inhibit phagocytosis and the other bearing the genes for the synthesis of its exotoxins.

Cyanobacteria can perform photosynthesis to produce energy using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, whereas bacteria in your mouth do not possess this ability. Additionally, cyanobacteria can produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis, which is not a trait found in the bacteria in your mouth.

The statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that those most likely to catch the A-H1N1/09 Pandemic Influenza are young and healthy. The most cases were among those aged from infants to age 24.

Those who had complications requiring hospitalization were comprised more of those age 0 to 4 by twice as many hospitalizations as those age 5 to 24. That group of ages 5 to 24 was just under twice as likely to be hospitalized as the next group of age 50 to 64.

Of those hospitalized, a majority had underlying medical conditions or were pregnant women which made them more vulnerable. For example, 8% of Americans have asthma, but 32% of patients hospitalized with A-H1N1/09 were asthmatics. (See the related question below for a list of the high risk groups)

The group with the most deaths was the group of people age 25 to 49 with 41% of the deaths, next was the group of 50 to 64 year olds who comprised 25% of those who died. Although they are among the most common to contract the disease, only 16% of the cases aged 5 to 24 were among those who died. With the seasonal flu, those who are most vulnerable to die are people 65 and older who typically represent 90% of the total seasonal flu deaths. With the A-H1N1/09 Pandemic flu, the people age 65 and older are much less likely to contract the disease and only around 9% die. Age group 0-4 comprise only 2% of the deaths.

No it is not!

You would need to be directly infected to catch Rabies.

Bacteria can be consumed by other microorganisms like protists and fungi, as well as by certain animals like amoebas. Viruses are not considered living organisms and do not have a metabolism to be "eaten" in the traditional sense. However, viruses rely on infecting host cells to replicate and spread.

Natural compounds kill bacteria much in the same way that industrially prepared chemicals or treatments do. Natural compounds that kill bacteria are called bacteriocins, or in other words the extracellular enzymes produced by bacteria to kill other bacteria.

Many bacteriocins kill bacteria by cleaving essential components in cell walls such as beta-lactam. (This is also the same way that penicillin works, which is produced by fungi.) Bacteriocins can also cause cellular lysis by activating the cells apoptotic cycle. (programmed cell death)

One of the more common ways that natural compounds kill bacteria is by preventing them from producing proteins that are required for the cell to survive. Also, these compounds prevent the uptake and formation of folates which is required for bacterial metabolic processes which also causes cell death.

Non-pathogenic organisms benefit humans by helping with digestion, producing essential nutrients like vitamin K, and supporting the immune system by competing with harmful pathogens for resources. Additionally, non-pathogenic organisms play important roles in soil health, recycling nutrients, and biodegradation of waste materials.

Yes. Aerobic and anaerobic deal with how the organism converts its food into useful energy. Chemosynthetic deals with how the organism gets the food to begin with. Thus, the bacterium can make the food chemosynthetically and then convert it to useable energy aerobically.

If you're using this for Biology 1 or 2..

Shame on you! You're cheating!

No, not all microorganisms are pathogenic. Many microorganisms are harmless or even beneficial to humans and the environment. Pathogenic microorganisms are the minority, causing diseases under certain conditions.

Physiological stresses such as blood loss, burns, measles, and cancer are known to particularly increase the risk of infection due to a weakened immune system. These conditions compromise the body's ability to fight off pathogens and may lead to secondary infections or complications. It is crucial to manage these conditions promptly to reduce the risk of infections.

No, in fact Measles causes Shingles later in life. If you have had Measles you may very well develop Shingles when you are elderly. There is a vaccine for Shingles, but it's only available to those over the age of 60.

It uses the energy of a host cell, in a sort of parasitic way.

A virus is non-living, although it is a well structured organism able to reproduce and cause things to happen. To do these things, it does not generate or use its own power or energy. Instead, it invades a living host (a plant, animal or human) and attaches a virus particle into a cell and makes that living cell of the host to which it has attached change its operations from working for the host to working for the virus.

The cell begins to create duplicates of the virus particles. It does this because once the virus has attached itself, it adds part of its own DNA or RNA instructions into the cell which turns the cell into a virus-making factory. The cell's original DNA is no longer giving the instructions to the cell and so it is no longer doing what it is supposed to for the host and eventually dies when it bursts open to release the virus "babies".

This is what makes us get sick if enough of our cells are pulled off their usual jobs by the virus and made to do other things and then die. All the energy that is needed to reproduce the virus is supplied by the host cell, and as it produces new virus particles those "offspring" attach to more cells and the process repeats cell by cell particle by particle as it moves through our bodies and attaches to more cells. Eventually (hopefully) our body's immune system learns the key to turning the virus off (or "killing" it). If too many of our cells are diverted before the immune system figures out how to attack the virus to stop it, then we can have organ and system failures and that is how we get very ill or even die.

Rabies can cause symptoms such as fever, headache, and weakness in its early stages. As the disease progresses, symptoms like agitation, hallucinations, and difficulty swallowing can occur. Untreated rabies is almost always fatal, so immediate medical attention is crucial if you suspect you have been exposed.

I'm unable to display diagrams as I can only provide text-based responses. However, you can easily find detailed diagrams of the H1N1 virus structure by searching online or in scientific research articles for visual representations.

Yes, Babesiosis can affect humans. It is one of several diseases that can be transmitted to people from a tick bite. It is a malaria-like infection that infects the red blood cells and it is caused by a protozoa. It is treated with an anti-malarial (often Mepron) combined with an antibiotic (often Zithromax, Biaxin, or Ketek). People who have or may have Babesiosis should also be tested for other tick-borne diseases including Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis (HME & HGE), Bartonella, Mycoplasma, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. These diseases can be very serious and chronic if not properly treated early in the infection. One place you can get information on Babesiosis is http:/www.wrongdiagnosis.com/b/babesiosis/intro.htm For information on all tick-borne diseases, check out www.lymenet.org I am currently being treated for Babesiosis and several other tick-borne diseases, and I am human : )

Yes, it is possible to have Lyme disease without a fever. Lyme disease can present with a variety of symptoms, and some individuals may experience symptoms such as fatigue, muscle aches, and joint pain without a fever. If you suspect Lyme disease, it is important to see a healthcare provider for evaluation and testing.