Infectious Diseases
Signs of Mononucleosis
How can you tell if have mono? Mononucleosis, or "mono", is an infection that is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, which infects B cells (B-lymphocytes), producing a reactive lymphocytosis and atypical T cells (T-lymphocytes) known as Downey bodies. The virus is contagious via saliva, which is why it's sometimes called "kissing disease." It is also known as Pfeiffer's disease, or glandular fever in English-speaking countries outside North America. Mono occurs most often in 15 to 17-year-olds. However, you can get it at any age.
Kids and Mersa
MRSA infections have always been notoriously difficult to treat because of their resistance to common antibiotics. Community-acquired MRSA is particularly disturbing, since it can occur in an otherwise healthy population. Unfortunately, it appears that the number of children being diagnosed with this disease is on the rise.
Community-acquired MRSA is a major health problem and can affect entire communities. Often, colonization will lead to infection later on, so doctors watch trends in colonization patients. 27% of the subjects had a form of staph, and over 4% had the MRSA bug itself. 35% of the MRSA colonization occurred in children that were less than 5 months old. Many of the strains were resistant to common antibiotics like clindamycin, rifampin, and tetracycline.
Antibiotics
What is West Nile Virus
Mosquitoes are the bane of many people's existence. They are also the transmitter of many viruses and parasites that cause countless diseases around the world. One of these illnesses is West Nile virus. While common in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, this virus has also made an appearance in the United States as well.
Some people may be bitten by an infected mosquito and not get any symptoms while others may experience mild ones. There are a few people however who experience life-threatening illnesses as a result of a simple bite from a mosquito infected with this West Nile virus.
Symptoms and Signs of West Nile Virus
As mentioned before, a majority of people infected with the virus will not show any signs of illness whatsoever. However, about 1/5 of the people bitten by an infected mosquito will develop mild illness that doctors call West Nile fever. Some of the symptoms of this fever include:
Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever
Dengue Fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are caused by related virus serotypes (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4), of the genus Flavivirus. Once contracted the individual is immune to that particular serotype for life. A person can contract more than one dengue infection during his/her lifetime.
Both diseases are considered tropical diseases and all four involve human and the Aedes mosquito. The illnesses can be a mild nonspecific viral syndrome or it can be a severe and fatal hemorrhagic disease.
Risk Factors for dengue Infection
• The history of prior dengue infection of the patient
• Age of the patient
• The particular strain of the dengue virus
A pandemic of dengue began in Southeast Asia after WWII and spread around the world since that time. Dengue viruses are not emerging in the Pacific and the Americas.
Tsetse Flies and Trypanosomiasis
There are two types of Trypanosomiasis – the West African version and the Gambian version. Both are caused by a type of tsetse fly indigenous to that particular region they are named for. Either Trypanosomiasis type, they are both called the sleeping sickness. It is estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) that as many as 100,000 cases combined occur each year. The primary cause is due to the bite of the tsetse fly infected by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei gambiense.
Transmission and Symptoms of the Sleeping Sickness
The most probable means of getting Trypanosomiasis aka sleeping sickness is through the bite from an infected tsetse fly. However, there are rare times where the illness could spread through an organ transplant, blood transfusion or even pregnancy, where the mom could pass it to her baby.
