INFECTIOUS DISEASE

INFECTIOUS DISEASE

▪ Infectious diseases: Diseases that are caused

by the growth of microorganisms inside the
body. Some of these diseases are contagious.
Despite the availability of vaccines & antibiotics,
they are still prevalent in all parts of the world.

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 Definition :

▪ Infectious diseases are disorders in which

tissue damage or dysfunction is produced by
microorganisms.

▪ Despite the availability and use of effective

vaccines and antibiotics, infectious diseases
remain an important health problem worldwide.

▪ Infectious disease= transmissible disease =

communicable disease.
▪ Contagious mean person to person
transmission.

▪ Non contagious acquired from sources such as

animals, insects , soil, air or originating from
normal microbial flora of the body.
 Infectious agents:
Infectious agents belong to a wide range of classes,
they include;
1- Prions: which are modified host proteins lacking
genetic molecules.

2- Viruses: obligate intracellular parasites which

only replicate intracellularly.
3- Bacteriophage and plasmid.

4- Bacteria: prokaryotes lacking nucleic acid and

endoplasmic reticulum.
5-Mycoplasma, rickettsiae, Chlamydia.

6-Fungi: non-motile filamentous, branching

strands of connected cells.

7-Protozoa: single cell organisms with a well

defined nucleus.

8-Helminthes: multicellular parasites with

complicated life cycles often involving several
hosts.
 Some common infectious diseases are –
1.Diptheria
2.Whooping cough
3.Tuberculosis
4.Syphillis
5.Clostridial infection
6.Pneumonia

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 CATEGORIES OF INFECTIOUS AGENTS

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 SPECIAL TECHNIQUES FOR
DIAGNOSING INFECTIOUS AGENTS

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 Some Recently Recognized Infectious
Agents and Manifestations

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 Herpes Simplex

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 Herpes Simplex

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 Herpes Simplex

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 Herpes Simplex

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 Herpes Simplex

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 Herpes Simplex

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 Herpes Simplex

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 Herpes Simplex

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 Herpes Simplex

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 Herpes Simplex

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 Herpes Simplex

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 Herpes Simplex

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 Herpes Simplex

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 Herpes Simplex

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 Herpes Simplex

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 Herpes Simplex

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Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium

tuberculosis. The physiology of M. tuberculosis is highly aerobic
and requires high levels of oxygen.Depending on the portal of
entry of the infection,on the degree of haematogenous
spread,many organs and systems can be affected .The
commonest sites of infection are the lungs or the lymph
nodes.Tuberculosis infection and diseases, infects an estimated
20-43% of the world’s population.

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 Sign and symptoms:
Common symptoms:

• Chest pain
• Coughing up blood
• Productive cough

Systemic symptoms:

• Fever
• Chills
• Night sweats
• Appetite loss
• Weight loss

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Diagnosis:1.TB skin test
2.TB blood test
Treatment:
Antimicrobial chemotherapy:
1st 2 months:isoniazid+rifampicin+pyrazinamide+ethambutol
Next 4 months:isoniazid+rifampicin
Prevention:
Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine for infants.

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Syphilis
• Syphilis is a sexually-transmitted infectious disease caused
by Treponema pallidum, a gram-negative spirochaete.
• Syphilis is a sexually-transmitted infectious disease caused
by Treponema pal Syphilis is transmissible by
– sexual contact with infectious lesions
– from mother to fetus (congenital syphilis)
– via blood product transfusion
– through breaks in the skin that come into contact with
infectious lesions.
• If untreated, it progresses through stages: primary,
secondary, latent and tertiary stages..

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SIGN AND SYMPTOMS:
Primary stages: The appearance of a single sore marks the
first (primary) stage of syphilis symptoms, but there may be
multiple sores.
The sore appears at the location where syphilis entered the
body.
Secondary stages: Skin rashes and/or sores in the
mouth, vagina, or anus mark the secondary stage of
symptoms. The rash usually does not cause itching. This rash
may appear as rough, red, or reddish brown spots both on the
palms of the hands and/or the bottoms of the feet.
Latent and tertiary stages: Without treatment, the
infected person can continue to have syphilis in their body
even though there are no signs or symptoms. This latent
stage can last for years. In this stage of syphilis, the disease
damages the internal organs, including the brain, nerves,
eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones, and joints. This
damage can result in death.

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Diagnosis: 1.Blood test
2.Testing fluid from a syphilis sore.
Treatment:
• Primary and secondary syphilis can be
successfully treated with a single dose of penicillin.
• Doxycycline may be used as an alternative in case of
penicillin allergy.
• Tertiary syphilis need to be treated with three penicillin
injections, which are given at weekly intervals. While
treatment can stop the infection, it cannot repair any
damage that has already been caused by the tertiary
syphilis.
• Refrain from any kind of sexual activity or close
physical contact with another person until the
treatment is completed.

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Clostridia infection
Clostridium species are gram-positive bacilli that grow under
anaerobic conditions and produce spores that are frequently
present in the soil. Clostridium perfringens, which causes a
wide range of symptoms, from food poisoning to gas
gangrene.
Sign and symptoms of Gas gangrene:

• Air under the skin

• Progressive swelling around a skin injury
• Vesicle formation
• Blisters filled with brown-red fluid
• Moderate to severe pain
• Pale skin color

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Diagnosis: 1.Blood, fluid and tissue culture to test for C.
perfringens.
2.MRI, CT scan or X-ray to check the presence of
gas in tissues.
Treatment:

• . Rapid diagnosis &aggressive early treatment

• Administer supplemental oxygen
• Restore intravenous fluid volume
• Ensure that tetanus immunity is adequate
• Treatment is combined with antibiotics &debriment.

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 Pneumonia
• Pneumonia is a form of acute infection of the lungs
characterized primarily by inflammation of the alveoli due
to filling of the alveolar air spaces with inflammatory cells
and exudate which makes breathing painful and limits
oxygen intake.
• Pneumonia can be caused by viruses, bacteria or fungi.
• Pneumonia accounts for 18% of all deaths of children under
five years old worldwide.

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Signs and symptoms:
• Most people who develop pneumonia initially have
symptoms of a cold:
– Sneezing
– sore throat
– Cough
• These symptoms are then followed by
– cough with sputum production (discolored and
sometimes bloody)
– high fever (sometimes as high as 1040 F)
– shaking chills
– feeling of being short of breath
– chest pain that is often made worse by coughing
feeling very tired or weak.

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Diagnosis:

• X-ray
• Culture of the sputum

• Treatment: Antibiotic is the mainstay of pneumonia

treatment.
• Community acquired pneumonia:
– In the UK, empiric treatment with amoxicillin is
recommended as the first line for community-
acquired pneumonia, with doxycycline or
clarithromycin as alternatives.
– In the USA, the recommended treatment option is
macrolides (such as azithromycin or erythromycin),
and doxycycline have displaced amoxicillin as first-
line outpatient treatment in adults.

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• Nosocomial pneumonia:
– Third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins and
fluoroquinolones, carbapenems, aminoglycosides,
and vancomycin.
• Prevention with vaccination:
– There are currently 2 types of pneumococcal
vaccines:
• pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13)
• pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23)
• Infants and Children younger than 2 Years of Age
– PCV13 is routinely given to infants as a series of 4
doses, one dose at each of these ages: 2 months, 4
months, 6 months, and 12 through 15 months.
• Children >2 years to adults:
– A single dose of PCV13

• All adults 65 years of age and older:

– A single dose of PPSV23 vaccine.

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3/8/2023 © 2009, James L. Fishback, M.D.