CLASSIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES

A. FOOD BORNE INFECTIONS

1. Botulism
2. Clostridium Perfingers food poisoning
3. Salmonellosis
4. Shigellosis food poisoning
5. Staphylococcal disease
6. Traveler’s disease
7. Trichinosis

B. WATER AND FOOD BORNE DISEAS

1. Amebiasis
2. Cholera
3. Giardiasis
4. Legionellosis

C. VACCINE PREVENTABLE DISEASES

1. Chickenpox
2. Diphtheria
3. Measles
4. Mumps
5. Poliomyelitis
6. Tetanus

D. SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES

1. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
2. Gonorrhea
3. Syphilis
4. Chlamydia Trachomatis

E. PERSON TO PERSON TRANSFERRABLE DISEASES

1. Aseptic Meningitis
2. Viral Hepatitis
3. Respiratory Infections
4. Herpes Simplex
5. Staphylococcal disease
6. Tuberculosis
7. Leprosy

F. ARTHROPOD BORNE DISEASES

 1. Encephalitis
2. Lymme diseases
3. Malaria
4. Plague
5. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

G. ZOONOTIC DISEASES
1. Psittacosis
2. Q fever
3. Rabies

H. OPPORTUNISTIC FUNGAL & FUNGAL DISEASES

1. Coccidioidomycosis
2. Candiasis

FOOD BORNE DISEASES

1. BOTULISM – severe intoxication resulting from ingestion of preformed toxin in

contaminated food. Signs and symptoms related to nervous system (blurring of vision, double
vision, dysphagia, dry mouth, followed by descending symmetrical flaccid paralysis). Fever is
absent.

Caustive microorganism – Clostridium Botulinum – a spore forming obligate anaerobic bacillus.

Human specie usually are due to specie A, B, & E.

Mode of Transmission – ingestion of food contaminated with toxin as in inadequate heating

during canning process and subsequently without cooking before eating the canned food.

Incubation period – 12-36 hours. Sometimes several days.

2. CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS FOOD POISONING – intoxication caused by toxins

elaborated by ingested bacteria growing inside the intestine that may be present in seafoods,
mushrooms, mussels, eels, and scombroid fish and other sea foods.

Prompt laboratory examination of food ingested is needed.

3. SALMONELLOSIS – a bacterial disease commonly manifested by an acute entero colitis with

sudden onset of headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and sometimes vomiting.
Dehydration may be severe. Fever is always present. Anorexia and diarrhea often persist for
several days. May develop to septicemia.
Causative organism – Salmonella Typhosa, Paratyphosa, Typhimurium or Enteritides.

Mode of Transmission – ingestion of contaminated foods derived from infected animal foods, or
contaminated with feces of infected animal or carriers.

Incubation period – 6-72 hours or 12-36 hours.

4. SHIGELLOSIS FOOD POISONING - acute bacterial disease involving the large intestine
and distal end of small intestine. Characterized by diarrhea accompanied by fever, nausea and
sometimes toxemia, vomiting cramps and tenesmus, stool contain blood, mucus and pus.

Causative agent – Shigella Flexnerii, Boydii and Somneii.

Mode of transmission: fecal-oral route

Incubation period: 12-96 hours usually 1-3 days

5. STAPHYLOCOCCAL FOOD POISONING – an intoxication with abrupt onset of severe

nausea, cramps, vomiting, and prostration often accompanied with diarrhea, subnormal
temperature and low blood pressure. Intensity of symptoms require hospitalization.

Causative Organism – staphylococcus aureus enteretoxin which is stable even at boiling point.

Mode of transmission – ingestion of food containing staphylococcal enteretoxin due to contact

with unwashed hands of food handlers eaten without subsequent heating.

Incubation period: 30 minutes-7hours usually 2-4 hours.

6. TRAVELER’S DIARRHEA – characterized by profuse watery diarrhea without blood or

mucus. Abnormal cramps, vomiting, acidosis, prostration and dehydration with low grade
fever lasting for 3-5 days.

Causative agent – Enteretoxigenic Eschirechia Coli that elaborate thermolabile toxin.

Transmission: ingestion of contaminated food.

Incubation period: 10-12 hours.

7. TRICHINOSIS – infection caused by intestinal roundworm whose larvae (Trichinae) migrate

to and become encapsulated in the muscles. Symptoms ranges from inapparent infection to a
fulminating one like muscle soreness and pain.
Causative agent: Trichinella Spiralis, an intestinal nematode.

Mode of transmission: ingestion of raw foods or insufficiently cooked foods containing encysted
larvae.

Incubation period: 8-15 days

WATER AND FOOD BORNE DISEASES

1. AMEBIASIS – an infection with protozoan parasites causing fulminating diarrhea with blood
and mucus usually with tenesmus. Diagnosis is thru microscopic demonstration of
trophozoites or cyst in fresh stool examination.

Causative agent: Entameba hystolytica

Mode of transmission: ingestion of focally contaminated water containing raw vegetable or

soiled hands of food handlers.

Incubation period: 2-4 weeks

2. CHOLERA – acute bacterial enteric disease with sudden onset of profuse painless watery
stools, vomiting, rapid dehydration, acidosis and circulatory collapse. Case Fatality Rate –
50%.

Causative agent: Vibrio Cholera

Mode of transmission: ingestion of water contaminated with feces or vomitus of patient or

carrier.

Incubation Period: few hours to 5 days or 2-3 days usually.

VIBRO PARAHEMOLYTICUD FOOD POISONING – characterized by watery diarrhea,

abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and headache.

Causative agent: Vibrio Parahemolyticus

Mode of transmission: ingestion of raw or inadequately cooked sea foods.

Incubation period: 4-96 hours

3. GIARGIASIS – Protozoan infection of upper small intestine characterized by diarrhea which
is chronic, steatorrhea, abdominal cramps, bloating and frequent loose and greasy stool.

Causative agent: Giargia Lamblia

Mode of transmission: hand to mouth transfer of cyst from feces of infected individual

Incubtion Period: 7-10 days

4. LEGIONELLOSIS – characterized by anorexia, malaise, myalgia, and headache. Chills and

fever developed after few days.

Causative agent: Legionellae Bacteria

Mode of transmission: airborne transfer via aerosol

Incubation period: 24-48 hours

OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASES FREQUENTLY CAUSING OUTBREAK

1. Measles – an acute highly communicable viral disease characterized by high fever,

conjunctivitis, coryza, cough and koplik spots on buccal mucosa. On the third day, appearance
of red blotchy rash on the face and becoming generalized on the third day.
Causative agent – measles virus.

Mode of transmission – airborne by droplet spread or direct contact with nasal or throat
secretions of infected patient.

Incubation period: 10-14 days.

2. Chickenpox – an acute generalized viral disease with sudden onset of high fever and
constitutional symptoms with maculopopular skin eruption becoming vesicular for 3-4 days
and leaves granular scab.

Causative agent: Herpes zoster (Chickenpox virus).

Mode of transmission: direct contact person to person or airborne spread of secretion of

respiratory system or from vesicle fluid.

Incubation period: 13-17 days

3. Hepatitis – characterized by anorexia, vague abdominal discomfort, nausea and vomiting and
later jaundice.

Causative agent: Hepatitis B virus.

Mode of transmission: blood transfusion, sharing of needle or drug users, through saliva, semen,
and vaginal secretions.

Incubation period: 60-90 days

4. Mumps – acute viral disease characterized by fever, swelling and tenderness of one or more
salivary gland but usually parotid gland progressing to one sided orchitis.

Causative agent: Mumps virus

Mode of transmission – by droplet spread or direct contact with saliva of patient.

Incubation period: 12-25 days.

5. Diphtheria – characterized by grayish membranous patches with surrounding inflammation on

the pharynx and tonsil with enlarged cervical lymph glands.
Causative agent: Corynebacterium diphtheria

Mode of transmission: contact with patient or carrier, most especially direct contact with
discharges from lesion of patients.

Incubation period; 2-5 days

6. Tetanus – painful mascular contraction of the masseter and neck muscles. Opisthotonus and
facial expression of risus sardonicus.

Causative agent: Clostridium tetani

Mode of transmission: tetanus spore introduced to the open wound through contamination with
soil, street dusat or human or animal feces.

Incubation period: 3-21 days.

7. Tuberculosis – cough for 2 or more weeks duration, fever in the afternoon, night sweating, lost
of weight with positive sputum microscopic examination for TB bacilli or positive X-ray
exam.

Causative agent – Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mode of transmission: airborne thru droplet infection excreted by TB patient while coughing,
sneezing, talking and laughing.

Incubation period: 4-12 weeks.

8. Dengue – an acute viral infection characterized by sudden onset of high fever intense
headache, myalgia, abdominal pain and skin rashes. Positive tourniquet test and with platelet
count less than 100,000 per ml.

Causative agent: dengue virus type 1,2,3,4.

Mode of transmission: thru bite of infected mosquito.

Incubation period_ 7-10 days.