Shingles or Herpes zoster is a viral disease that occurs with reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (virus that causes varicella or chicken pox). It is characterized by a painful skin rash which usually shows a dermatomal distribution. Pathophysiology of Herpes Zoster Varicella-zoster virus (VZV), is a a double-stranded DNA virus. It is a herpes virus […]
Infections
Herpes Simplex Infection: Causes, Presentation and Diagnosis
Herpes simplex is an infection caused by HSV (herpes simplex virus). This virus can affect various organs including the external genitalia, anal region, mucosal surfaces, and skin in other parts of the body. It is a contagious disease causing sores, painful blisters or ulcers at the site of infection. The term herpes is derived from […]
Omphalitis – Causes, Presentation and Treatment
Omphalitis is an infection of the umbilicus and/or surrounding tissues, occurring primarily in the neonatal period. It is a true medical emergency that can rapidly progress to systemic infection and death. The estimated mortality is between 7% and 15%. Early recognition and treatment are essential to prevent the morbidity and mortality associated with omphalitis. Omphalitis […]
Relapsing Fever – Types, Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
Relapsing fever is a type of fever caused by various spirochete bacteria where the infection results in recurrent episodes of fever with an intermittent period of remission. This characteristic pattern of remission and relapse gives relapsing fever its name and allows it to differentiate from other causes of fever. Other diseases caused by spirochetes include […]
Lemierre syndrome Presentation and Treatment
Lemierre syndrome or Lemierre’s disease refers to thrombophlebitis of the jugular veins with distant metastatic sepsis in the setting of initial oropharyngeal infection such as pharyngitis/tonsillitis with or without peritonsillar or retropharyngeal abscess. Lemierre’s syndrome is also called postanginal shock including sepsis and human necrobacillosis. It most often develops as a complication of a bacterial […]
Prion Diseases – Types, Symptoms and Treatment
Prion diseases are a group of rare progressive neurodegenerative diseases caused by prions. Prions are made up entirely of protein material; so they are also called “proteinaceous infectious particles”. The term prion refers to abnormal, pathogenic agents that are both infectious and transmissible. They are bits of misfolded protein (prion protein) (PrP) that have the ability […]
Sterlization Methods and Their Use
Sterilization or sterilisation is the process that eliminates, removes, kills, or deactivates all forms of life and other biological agents such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, spore forms, prions, unicellular eukaryotic organisms such as Plasmodium present in a specified region, such as a surface, a volume of fluid, medication, or in a compound such as biological culture media. Sterilization has a very important role in making and keeping medical devices, implants, […]
Gas Gangrene or Clostridial Myonecrosis
Gas gangrene is a necrotizing soft tissue infection that affects skeletal muscle. It is also called clostridial myonecrosis and is is typically caused by Clostridum baceteria, most commonly Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium septicum, and Clostridium novyi. It is an opportunistic infection that is spreads extremely fast and is lethal. Clostridium is a genus of anaerobic, gram positive bacteria. Clostridium use anaerobic […]
Cutaneous Larva Migrans
Cutaneous larva migrans is a skin eruption caused by the larvae of animal hookworms [Not the human hookworms which affect the alimentary system but rarely can cause this condition too]. The term literally means “wandering larvae in the skin”. It is the most common tropically acquired dermatosis. Ancylostoma braziliense is the most frequently found species. Larval migration […]
Modes of Disease Transmission
Infectiuous diseases have ability to spread from one individual to others. It is important to understand how does diseases spread. Mode of spread of disease is also called mode of disease transmission. This understanding helps us to curb the spread and take effective personal preventive measures. Different pathogens spread differently. After having infected one host, […]