Forms of CANDIDIASIS

The fungus "Candida Albicans" is a normal commensal of oral cavity,gastro-intestinal,vagina and skin.
It is a yeast like fungus and becomes pathogenic in fallowing conditions:
-Prolonged antibiotic
-immunosuprpresive therapy.
-others states of immunocompromization as diabetes and AIDS.

Forms of Candidiasis:
1.Superficial Candidiasis:
This is the most common form.It is usually due to prolonged use of antibiotics.
Manifestations are:
-Thrush: White patches in oral mucosa composed of fungal colonies.The submucosa shows infalmmation.
-Vaginal Lesions: similar to oral thrush (white patches and inflammation).
-Paroncychia (lesions under the nails) and macerations of interdigital skin.

2.Gastrointestinal Candidiasis:
Is most common in oesophagus and particularly in AIDS.

3.Invasive Candidiasis:
It is due to blood spread.It is oftenly fatal.The manifestations include:
-renal,hepatic,pulmonary and myocardial abscesses.
-endocarditis.
-brain:microabscesses and meningitis.

Toxoplasmosis-Sources of infection

This infection is caused by a microscopic parasite that can live inside the cells of humans and animals,especially in cats and farm animals.

Pleople can catch toxoplasmosis from:
-touching or coming in contact with infected cat feces
-eating raw or uncooked meat that's contaminted
-eating unwashed fruits or vegetables that have been contaminted
-being born with it (the women infected by toxoplasmosis pass the parasite on her unborn child)
The infection doesn't spread from person to person (only from pregnant to featus).

Toxoplasmosis pass from animal to person sometimes without any symptoms.The symptoms may appear in base of age or imunity system status.
Exist:
-congenital toxoplasmosis (in which the child become infected before birth)
-toxoplasmosis with week imune system.

Cat Scratch Disease-Signs and Symptoms

The cat scratch disease is a bacteria infection caused by recently indentified gram-negative bacteria (Bartonella Henselvae),commonly transmited by scratch of the cats,but may be also introduced by thorms or spinters.
The disease appears much often in fall or winter and more is diagnosed in case of kids-they play more with cats and they get biten or scratched.
Fleas spread the bacteria between cats.
The bacteria lives in infected cats saliva and they can care the bacteria months (the cats don't have the symptoms of sickness).
Is considerated that almost half of cats have this bacteria,especially those more younger.

Signs and Symptoms:
A small bump develop several days after the scratch or bite and can be mistaken for a bug bite.This bump is a wound at the site where the bacteria enter the body.This lesions are not painful.
Usually after a couple of weeks after the scratch or bite appears more lymph nodes close to the area of lesion,that swell and become tender.
Although the lesion is on the leg,this nodes will appear most often in the underarm or neck area,if the lesion is in the arm the nodes can appear in elbow and the armpit will swell.
The skin over these swollen lymph nodes become worm and red and occasionally can drain pus.
The symptoms may include fever,fatigue,loss of appetite,headache,rash.

If these symptomes exist try warm,moist compresses or give your child ibuprofen as imediate care.Most recomanded is to address to a doctor,for a sure diagnosis and treatment.

Manifestations of Congenital Syphilis-Infection Transmitted from mother to fetus

Congenital Syphilis names the transplacental infection from a syphilitic mother to the fetus.
In case of infected mother during pregnancy the placenta appears enlarged and pale and this can determinate abortion,stillbirth (give birth to a death fetus) or the baby survives and develops two groups of manifestations:

1.Early Manifestations:
These type of manifestations develop during the first two years of life often between the 2nd and 10th week and are common to those with the secondary stage of disease.Appears:
-skin rash
-mucus patches (found in the mucus membranes of the mouth and anus)
-generalized lymph node enlargement (lymph node-small ball shaped organ of the immun system,distributed widely throughhout the body)
-radiating scars at the angles of mouth and anus
-syphilitic inflamation of organs that can result in pneumonia alba (pale lungs) and syphilitic cirrhosis
-retardation of bone growth.

2.Late Manifestations (2-30 years):
-Hutchinson's Teeth-the permanent central incisors are short,notched and widely separated
-deafness
-sabre tibia (the tibia is thickened and brent)
-saddle nose
-neurosyphilis.

Botulism

Botulism is a rare highly fatal food intoxication.The causative agent is a neurotoxin that is very potent in minute amount.
Neurotoxin interferes with transmission of impulses from nerve to muscle.
When the food is left without refrigeration at room temperature specially in hot weather,staphylococci multiply rapidly.
Foods at risk of contamintion:
-milk
-cream
-pastries
-cakes
-meat

Incubation Period: 2-4 hours.

Symptoms:
-abrupt onsent of acute gastro-enteritis
-severe nausea
-abdominal cramps
-vomiting
-diarrhoea
-slight or no fever
-subnormal temperature
Manifestation persist for some hours fallowed by recovery.

Many cases appear in the involved group within short time if they share common food.
Manifestation appear after very short incubation period (hours).Cases show more or less similar manifestations (gastrointestinal) for short time.

Prevention:
-protection and clean hndling of food
-refrigeration of food,not left at room temperature,until consumed
-boiling of milk if is not pasteurized.

Wash your hands before getting contact with the food!
Provide food only from safe conditions!
Keep the food in sanitary conditions!

Raw Milk-source of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis

Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis is tuberculosis that involves different parts of the body other that the lungs.

Mode of Transmission: ingestion infection:
1) Ingestion of raw or insufficiently heated milk or dairy products (cheese and yogurt) mde of this milk.

How bovine tuberculosis bacilli reach milk?
-Directly secreted in milk,from infected udder.
-Contamination of milk with discharges of tuberculous animals,whithin the animal environment.

2) Ingestion of insufficiently cooked or processed meat.
3) Ingestion of raw or insufficiently boiled eggs.

Why milk is the main vehicle of tuberculous infection than meat?
-milk is a popular,regularly consumed food.
-milk is ready food and so may be consumed without heating,while meat is usually cooked.
-milk used in many widely consumed dairy products is not necessrily boiled or pasteurized beforehand,and may be just warmed and so is not safe.
-milk may be infected or contaminated with many pathogens from two sources,animal and man.
-milk takes a long way from farm to consumer whit many handling and exposure to contamination and hot weather.
-nutrients of milk llow rapid growth of organisms,specially in hot weather without cooling.
-water used in adulteration of milk or washing utensils may be polluted.
-fulfilment of milk sanitation is practically difficult in developing countries.

Symptoms of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis:
Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis involves he lymph nodes,bones and joints,intestine,kidney,meninges and other parts of the body.All systems of the body including the skin are at-risk in varied incidence.Clinical picture depends of parts affected.

AIDS Symptoms,Manifestation

Cases that shows varied manifestations may be grouped into:
-AIDS related complex
Secondary pathological conditions

1.AIDS related Complex :manifestations are caused by HIV.
The case shows nonspecific symptoms,of low-grade fever,fatigue,diarrhea and loss of weight,and persistent generalized lymphadenopathy,specially in children.

2.Secondary pathological conditions:
Arise from immun dysfunction.
-Infection:cases of AIDS are susceptible to varied infections,as the respiratory,that may be life-treatening.
-Autoimmune and neurologic disorders.
-Malignancy:sarcomas.

Immune deficiency is irreversible and threatens life.Disease is fatal within years,usually from:
-secondary infection,specially the viral.
-malignancy.

Diagnosis:
Clinical manifestations are nonspecific,undiagnostic.
AIDS however may be suspected in high-risk individuals suffering for long from vague disease,not responding to given treatment,to be confirmed by laboratory diagnosis.
Laboratory Diagnosis: based on presence of viruses and formation of HIV antibodies.Blood testing of the infected becomes positive 1-3 monthafter infection.

Influenza

Influenza is acute highly disease that shows endemic,epidemic and pandemic spread.

Causative organism:
Type A:responsable for epidemics and pandemics and may show mutation changes.
Type B: may cause outbreacks in confined groups and is less lieble to mutation.
Type C: causes sporadic cases,usually of mild or inapparent disease.

Reservoirs of Infection:
Man: cases where the virus find exit in respiratory discharges,from the mouth and nose.They are infectious for few days.
Animals: pigs,horses and some avian species are reservoirs of subtypes of virus A.

Modes of Transmission:
-direct droplet infection: the most important
-airborne infection with crowded groups (schools,camps)
-freshly soiled articles and fomites.

Incubation period: 1-3 days.
Caracteristics: manifestations and severity vary,may be inapparent,mild,typical or severe fatal disease.Uncomplicated disease is self-limited,of 2-7 days.

Typical cases: abrupt onset,with high fever,chills,headache,myalgia and respiratory catarrh (sore throat,coughing).

Complications:
-secondary bacterial infection of respiratory tract,usually streptococcal or pneumococcal,causing acute sinusitis,otitis media,bronchitis and pneumonia.
-Viral pneumonia,by influenza virus (rare).
-Pericarditis,myocarditis and thrombophlebitis (uncommon).

An individual may get more than one influenza attack,due to:
-many types and subtypes of influenza virus
-continual antigenic changes of the virus.

Age incidence: age group 5-15 years shows the hight incidence.

Prevention:
Adequate ventilation and spacing in confined and public places are generally required,yet they are not significantly effective to prevent spread of outbreaks and epidemics once started.
And by active immunization principally.

Herpes

The Herpes Simplex
There are 2 types of herpes simplex virus:
-type I responsable for oral and labial rashes and for encephalitis.
-type II responsable for genital and neonatal infection.
The virus attacks the inferior frontal and temporal lobes and can be treate it with antiviral agent as Acyclovir.

Herpes Zoster
It is caused by Varicella Zoster virus which is identical to the virus of chicken pox.Herpes Zoster infection is a reactivation of latent zoster virus originally acquired in a childhood attack of chicken pox.
Reactivation is facilitated by an immune system weakened by:
-steroids
-malignancy
-Hodjkin's disease
-AIDS
The virus invades the dorsal root ganglia of the spinal cord and/0r the cranial nerve sensory ganglia.
The clinical stage depends on the ganglion involved.
1.Dorsal root ganglion involvement:vascular rash,associated hurning painful sensation along the course of the affected nerve(dermatome distribution),motor weakness may occur due to spread of infection to the spinal cord.
2.Gasserian ganglion involvment
3.Genicular ganglion involvment
Complications:
Post herpatic neurologia:pain persists for months or years after cure of the vesicles and is sometimes refractory to treatment.
Treatment:
-boric acid plus zinc oxide locally to the vesicles
-analgesics and antiphyretics
-antiviral agent
-injection of novocaine or phenol in the trigeminal ganglion or resection of the posterior root in the intractable pain.
All after the medical examination and prescription.