Sexually Transmitted Infections: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Sexually Transmitted Infections
Syphilis
Syphilis is caused by the spirochete bacterium. It spreads through sexual contact, placental transfer, and blood. Symptoms include a painless but highly contagious sore or ulcer on the genitals, and swollen lymph nodes in the groin. Advanced stages can manifest as skin problems, hepatitis, nervous system issues, or bone problems. Diagnosis is through the VDRL test. Treatment involves penicillin injections. Untreated syphilis can lead to heart and central nervous
Bacterial, Viral, and Foodborne Illnesses: Symptoms and Treatment
Bacterial Infections
Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme Disease)
- Disease: Lyme Disease
- Vector: Ticks (commonly found in deer habitats)
- Symptoms: “Bull’s-eye” rash, flu-like symptoms, heart inflammation, neurological abnormalities, arthritis
- Diagnosis: PCR DNA test, ELISA, Western Blot for IgM/IgG antibodies
- Treatment: Amoxicillin, tetracycline
- Prevention: Destroy tick habitats, use insecticides, tick repellents (e.g., DEET), inspect skin, and promptly remove ticks (within 24 hours)
Helicobacter pylori
- Characteristics:
Disease Outbreaks: Definitions, Steps, and Modes of Transmission
Disease Detectives
Pandemic: A global disease outbreak.
Outbreak: A sudden occurrence of disease in a community.
Epidemic: A widespread occurrence of a disease in a community at a particular time.
10 Steps to Investigate an Outbreak
- Prepare for field work
- Establish the existence of an outbreak
- Verify the diagnosis
- Construct a working case definition
- Find cases systematically and record information
- Develop Hypothesis
- Evaluate hypotheses
- Refine
Understanding Nosocomial Infections: Types, Factors, and Prevention
Transitory and Resident Flora
Transitory flora: Microorganisms that colonize the upper layers of the skin, acquired by direct contact. They are the most frequent microorganisms in nosocomial infections and are easily removed with handwashing.
Resident flora: Microorganisms that reside in the deeper layers of the skin. They are more difficult to remove with handwashing and are less related to nosocomial infections.
Surgical Wound Classification
- Clean: Wounds not originating from the airway, gastrointestinal
Protozoan Parasites: Characteristics, Diseases, and Prevention
Protozoa: An Introduction
Protozoa are unicellular organisms. Some may be parasitic. They have core mitochondria, are eukaryotic, feed by phagocytosis, and reproduce by bipartition. Their vegetative form is the infective trophozoite cyst.
Entamoeba histolytica
Kingdom: Protista. Family: Entamoebidae. Genus: Entamoeba. Species: Entamoeba histolytica. It is an anaerobic eukaryotic parasite that lives in the lumen and the wall of the intestine. Its reservoir is humans only. It is found in three forms:
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