DISEASES CAUSED BY VIRUS Common Cold

The common cold is a viral infection caused by a virus that affects the upper respiratory tract. It usually manifests as a runny nose, cough, constant sneezing or sore throat. According to the Mayo Clinic, more than 200 viruses are responsible for common cold, rhinovirus being the most common. Common cold viruses usually enter the body through the nose or mouth. The cold is a harmless infection, and recovery takes one or two weeks.

Chickenpox
Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease. Four million children in America per year became infected with the chickenpox virus before the chickenpox vaccine became available, according to the Mayo Clinic. Signs are a red rash and small blisters, or pox, that eventually break open. These rashes are often accompanied by fever, headache, cough and loss of appetite. The pox normally develop on the face, chest, scalp and back. After infection, virus can be transmitted to another person within 48 hours.

Influenza
Flu is a respiratory disease, mainly caused by the influenza virus. According to the New York State Department of Health, 5 to 20 percent of the population is diagnosed with flu annually. Influenza symptoms include high fever, headache, sore throat and muscle aches. Diarrhea, nausea and vomiting may also occur. Respiratory droplets that are released into air by infected people coughing and sneezing spreads the virus to healthy people.

Hemorrhagic Fever
Viruses belonging to four different categories cause viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF). Early symptoms are muscle aches and fever. However, as the virus progresses, it often causes internal and external bleeding, because VHF affects the vascular system of the body. These viruses make the blood vessels porous, which can lead to minor or massive bleeding. Patients bleed under the skin, internally, or even from the eyes or mouth with this affliction. VHF affects internal organs, particularly the liver, lungs and kidneys. It is often fatal.

Meningitis
The fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF), becomes affected by the virus that causes meningitis. The meninges protects the spinal cord, brain and the CSF. Enteroviruses affect the CSF, causing headaches, high fever and stiffness in the neck. Other symptoms include nausea, sleepiness and vomiting. In many cases, meningitis is caught by being in contact with an infected person.

DISEASES CAUSED BY BACTERIA

Cholera Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae which contaminates water and food usually seafood. It can cause diarrhea and water loss.

Meningitis Meningitis can be caused either by a virus or bacteria. Many different types of bacteria can cause meningitis but the majority of cases of bacterial meningitis are the meningococcal or the pneumococcal. The bacteria cannot live outside the human body. It thrives on the back of the nose and throat, or in the upper respiratory tract. As such, this disease is spread through coughing or sneezing or kissing.

Tetanus Tetanus is caused by a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium tetani. This disease cannot be spread from person to person but the bacterium is present in the soil, in the intestines and feces of household and farm animals as well as human excretion. It is a dangerous disease as it attacks the nervous system and causes paralysis which can lead to death but this disease can be easily prevented through vaccination.

Tuberculosis Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis which is spread through the air. This is a highly infectious disease which causes difficulty in breathing as the bacteria infect the lungs.

Whoopping cough (pertussis) Whooping cough is caused by the bacterium Bordatella pertusis which is spread through the air. It can cause severe coughing caused by an infection of the windpipe (trachea). The above infectious diseases are now not as fatal as they used to be with new treatments found and many advances in the health field. However, if proper treatment and vaccination are not given, these infectious diseases can cause death.

DISEASES CAUSED BY BACTERIA

HANSEN DISEASE

This is a disease, better known by another name, with an ancient history. Its not very contagious. We now know that while this bacterium cant be killed the disease can be treated but never cured, and victims must take antibiotics for ever a person on antibiotics can lead a normal life and is not contagious.
SYPHILLIS

This bacterium is spread by intercourse (it is an STD). The initial symptom is a sore on the genitalia followed later by a serious, general infection. A baby can become blind if (s)he gets syphilis in his/her eyes as (s)he is being born, thus hospitals routinely squirt silver nitrate (AgNO3) in newborns eyes, whether their mothers have this infection or not, thereby causing the babies eyes to become irritated and puffy.

LYME DISEASE

This bacterium is spread by the bite of a deer tick, thus is more common around wooded, rural areas. It is named after the town of Lyme, Conn., where it was first observed. There may be some inflammation around the site of the bite, but not always. However, if untreated at that stage, the main symptom is an arthritis-like condition that can last for months.
TETANUS

Tetanus (tetano = rigid, tense) is a disease in which all the persons muscles stiffen and contract due to the presence of a toxin secreted by the bacteria. Its not the rust on a rusty nail thats the problem, its the possibility of tetanus bacteria living there. Note, by the way, that the term tetanus technically refers to the condition of all the muscles being stiffened and contracted, no matter what the cause. Injury of a body part and/or certain drugs (strychnine) can cause tetanus. In this case, the word tetanus is used to refer not only to the condition of the muscles, but also to the bacteria and their toxin which, in this case, is the cause of the condition.
CHOLERA

Epidemics of this disease can be prevented by proper sewage handling. Cincinnati, as well as a number of other places, experienced a cholera epidemic in the 1800s. Consider that back then people didnt know what we now know about bacteria, nor did most people have indoor plumbing. Often, when someone cared for someone else with cholera (changing clothes and bedding following an episode of diarrhea), the caregiver didnt know to wash his/her hands afterward before eating. They just didnt know that: nobody washed their hands as much as we do now, and without indoor running water, handwashing was a lot more bother to do

DISEASES CAUSED BY VIRUSES

MOLLUSCUM CONTAGIOSUM

Molluscum contagiosum is a highly contagious viral skin disease. Symptoms are small bumps, ranging in color from white to flesh-colored, with a depressed center. Molluscum bumps typically last from six to 12 months, but they may not disappear for up to four years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises to avoid scratching or picking at the bumps, as either can spread the disease to other parts of the body or another person.
VIRAL MENINGITIS

Viral meningitis, also known as aseptic or nonbacterial meningitis, is an inflammation of the covering on the brain and spinal cord. The most common viral source is the enteroviruses, or common intestinal viruses, group. Direct contact with an infected person through respiratory secretions or fecal material is the main source of spreading of viral meningitis. Preventive measures for spreading meningitis include frequent and thorough hand washing and covering coughs, as suggested by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
OCULAR HERPES

Ocular herpes is a contagious viral infection of the eye. Ocular herpes is the same strain of herpes that causes a cold sore--completely different from the sexually transmitted form of herpes. The Digital Journal of Ophthalmology from Harvard Medical School states that there are approximately 500,000 cases of ocular herpes treated every year in the United States. Symptoms include blurred vision, tearing and eye pain.
ROSEOLA INFANTUM

Roseola infantum, a herpes virus 6 infection, presents mostly in children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years. Symptoms include a rash, sore throat, runny nose and a high fever between 103 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Merck Manuals, an online medical library, states that seizures occur in 5 to 15 percent of the children with high fevers.
MONONUCLEOSIS

Mononucleosis, a viral infection caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, presents with the symptoms of a sore throat, fatigue, fever and swollen lymph glands in the neck and armpits. The virus lives in saliva and mucous and transfers from one person to another through kissing, coughing or sharing drinking glasses. People between 15 and 35 years of age are the most common age group affected with mononucleosis, according to FamilyDoctor.org. Treatment consists of rest, fluids and over-the-counter pain relief medicines.

ASSIGNMENT IN BIOLOGY

Submitted by: Marinel Ignacio

ASSIGNMENT IN BIOLOGY

Submitted by: Emmanuel R. Ignacio