Infectious Diseases – Part 2 Bacterial Diseases

Bacterial Infectious Diseases Bacteria are microscopic single-celled organisms.

Three types of Bacteria: Bacillus – rod shaped Coccus – round Spirillum – spiral shaped

Who’s Who?

Many bacteria are harmless to us but there are those strains that cause disease. We will now look at ten different diseases that are caused by bacteria.

1.) Anthrax Anthrax most commonly occurs in wild and domestic animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, camels, antelopes, and other herbivores, but it can also occur in humans when they are exposed to infected animals or tissue from infected animals. Anthrax can infect one of three regions (next slide) Bacillus anthracis

Skin: Most (about 95%) anthrax infections occur when the bacterium enters a cut or abrasion on the skin. Skin infection begins as a raised itchy bump that resembles an insect bite but within 1-2 days develops into an ulcer, usually 1-3 cm in diameter, with a black dying area in the center. Lymph glands in the adjacent area may swell. About 20% of untreated cases of skin anthrax will result in death.

Inhalation: Initial symptoms may resemble a common cold. After several days, the symptoms may progress to severe breathing problems and shock. Inhalation anthrax is usually fatal. Intestinal: Caused when contaminated meat is eaten. It is followed by an inflammation of the intestinal tract. Initial signs of nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, fever are followed by abdominal pain, vomiting of blood, and severe diarrhea. Intestinal anthrax results in death in 25% to 60% of cases.

Anthrax

When animals die from anthrax…

After the 9/11 attack letters that contained the anthrax spore was sent to a few people, mainly politicians and those in the media. Many people that handled those letters became infected. Some died.

Since letters are carried through the mail, there were postal workers that died handling the letters. The postal service issued a $2.50 million dollar reward to find the person(s) that sent the letters.

“Ivins worked at the Army's biological warfare defense labs at Fort Detrick, Md., for 35 years until his death on Tuesday. He was one of the government's leading scientists researching vaccines and cures for anthrax exposure. But he also had a long history of homicidal threats, according to papers filed last week in local court by a social worker…….. Dr. Bruce Ivins ….. Authorities were investigating whether Ivins, who had complained about the limits of testing anthrax drugs on animals, had released the toxin to test the treatment on humans.” - FOXNews.com (August 2008) died in an apparent suicide on July 31

2.) Leprosy A disease that affects the skin, nerves, and mucous membranes. Today, India possesses the largest group of leprosy patients in the world at around 250,000 people. Those that have this disease are ostracized and sent off to leprosy homes or colonies.

Leprosy

There are two prevalent myths about leprosy, both of which are totally false: 1. The first is that leprosy is incurable. In truth, leprosy is treatable by using a regimen of drugs. The first real treatments for leprosy, using a drug called dapsone, were established in the 1940s. The World Health Organization (WHO) provides this Multi Drug Therapy (MDT) to any country in need as part of their ongoing efforts to eliminate leprosy as a world health problem. 2.The second myth is that leprosy is extremely contagious. In actuality, most people are naturally immune to the disease, and for those that are not, transmission is still unlikely. It is estimated that more than 90% of the world's population possesses total immunity to leprosy. For those that are susceptible, close contact with infected persons, particularly those exhibiting strong signs of the disease, is recommended against. In no way, however, is transmission anywhere near as easy as most people believe -- simple contact with a leper is highly unlikely, if not outright impossible.

3.) Pneumonia Pneumonia is an infection of one or both lungs. Over 3 million people develop pneumonia each year in the United States. Approximately 5% of people infected will die from pneumonia. Pneumonia is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

Pneumonia in the lungs

4.) Strep Throat Caused by the Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria. Common symptoms of strep throat are sudden sore throat, high fever, fatigue, & swollen tonsils/lymph nodes. Symptoms of colds/flu that are usually not present in strep throat are cough & runny nose.

Strep Throat

5.) Cholera Cholera is an acute, diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Approximately one in 20 infected persons has severe cholrea characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these persons, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and shock. Without treatment, death can occur within hours.

A person may get cholera by drinking or eating contaminated water or food. In an epidemic, the source of the contamination is usually the feces of an infected person. The disease can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water.

Cholera

6.) Typhoid Fever This bacteriuim lives only in humans. Persons with typhoid fever carry the bacteria in their bloodstream and intestinal tract. You can get typhoid fever if you eat food or drink beverages that have been handled by a person who is shedding S. Typhi or if sewage contaminated with S. Typhi bacteria gets into the water you use for drinking or washing food.

Typhoid fever is more common in areas of the world where hand washing is less frequent and water is likely to be contaminated with sewage. Once S. Typhi bacteria are eaten or drunk, they multiply and spread into the bloodstream. The body reacts with fever and other signs and symptoms. Typhoid fever is common in most parts of the world except in industrialized regions such as the United States, Canada, western Europe, Australia, and Japan.

Typhoid Fever

7.) Tuberculosis (TB) This bacteria usually attack the lungs. But, TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal. TB disease was once the leading cause of death in the United States.

TB is spread through the air from one person to another. The bacteria are put into the air when a person with TB coughs or sneezes. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected. When a person breathes in TB bacteria, the bacteria can settle in the lungs and begin to grow. From there, they can move through the blood to other parts of the body, such as the kidney, spine, and brain.

Tuberculosis

8.) Syphilis A sexually transmitted disease that goes through four stages: 1.Primary – 21 days (average) after infection sores appear. They last 3-6 weeks then go away. 2.Secondary – 6-8 weeks (average) a rash appears then goes away. 3.Latent – becomes dormant for many years 4.Tertiary – Begins anywhere from 10 to 50 years after infection.

What happens in tertiary syphilis? Damage the internal organs, including the brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones, and joints. Signs and symptoms of the late stage of syphilis include difficulty coordinating muscle movements, paralysis, numbness, gradual blindness, and dementia. This damage may be serious enough to cause death.

Primary Syphilis

Secondary Syphilis

Tertiary Syphilis

Syphilis cannot be spread by: contact with toilet seats doorknobs swimming pools hot tubs bathtubs shared clothing eating utensils

How can a person get syphilis? direct contact with a syphilis sore. Pregnant women with the disease can pass it to the babies they are carrying.

Top counties/cities in the US for: (2008) Syphilis Chlamydia Gonorrhea

9.) Salmonellosis Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. If it spreads to the bloodstream other organs become infected and death may result unless treated with antibiotics.

How do I get Salmonellosis? Salmonella are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces. Raw eggs, chicken, and reptiles often contain Salmonella bacteria. Prevention: Washing hands and cooking thoroughly poultry products.

10.) Botulism Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.

Three types of botulism: – Foodbourne (~25% of cases) - caused by eating foods that contain the botulism toxin. – Wound (~3% of cases) - caused by toxin produced from a wound infected with Clostridium botulinum. – Infant (~72% of cases) - caused by consuming the spores of the botulinum bacteria, which then grow in the intestines and release toxin.

What are the symptoms of botulism? double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness. If untreated, these symptoms may progress to cause paralysis of the arms, legs, trunk and respiratory muscles. In foodborne botulism, symptoms generally begin 18 to 36 hours after eating a contaminated food.

Wound Botulism Foodbourne Botulism Watch that can!

Botox – the latest fountain of youth The botulism toxin is used! On a related note………

At this point, you may be wondering why anyone would want to have a botulinum toxin injected into his or her body. The answer is simple: If an area of the body can't move, it can't wrinkle. The effects of the treatment are not permanent, reportedly lasting anywhere from three to eight months. By injecting the toxin directly into a certain muscle or muscle group, the risk of it spreading to other areas of the body is greatly diminished.

Before you have that Botox Party… The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued statements warning of the possible hazards of "Botox® parties." Whether used to treat medical conditions such as blepharospasm or strabismus or cosmetic concerns such as furrow lines, a Botox® injection is a medical procedure that should be performed in a controlled medical environment. According to the FDA, administering this treatment during a cocktail party greatly diminishes the gravity of this medical procedure. There is always a risk of adverse reactions or side effects after a Botox® injection, so patients need to be in a medical setting that is equipped to handle an emergency situation. And, the ingestion of alcohol at or around the time of injection could worsen any bruising at the injection site.