Tuberculosis remains a major killer in the world, killing over 1 million yearly and infecting at least one-third of the entire world population. TB is especially prevalent in developing nations, but it also remains an active disease in the United States as well, with almost 10,000 reported infections in 2013 alone. While tuberculosis infections are on the decline, it remains a disease worth preventing.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Cytomegalovirus, commonly known by its initials as CMV, is a very common viral infection that can occur in anyone of any gender, race, or socioeconomic class. It is often a disease of childhood with the majority of people being infected when they are children age 6 or under. Most people who have CMV …
Blood-Borne Pathogens While there are multiple pathogenic organisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other more exotic organisms such as prions, that could potentially be transmitted from an infected person to uninfected people through blood contact, the term Blood-Borne Pathogens is most commonly used to refer to the “Big 3,” by which is meant Hepatitis B …
Candida Candida is a very common genus of fungi which take on the form of yeast instead of mold. There are many species of Candida, probably about 20 or so, although it is possible more are yet to be discovered and described. C. albicans is probably the one species of yeast that is most likely …
The vaccinia virus was once very common in the United States and then for many years it became essentially unheard of. Now, the occurrence of vaccinia infection is increasing once again, although still rare, it is now known to occur primarily in the families and intimate contacts of members of the military and other emergency …
The respiratory syncytial virus, more easily known as RSV, is a very common virus that infects and sickens people, usually the very young and, as is increasingly recognized, also the elderly. Most infected people will not be able to distinguish RSV infection from the common cold, but in some cases, especially among premature infants, RSV …
Coronavirus refers to a relatively small group of viruses that were first identified in the 1960s from the respiratory tracts of humans. Over the course of time, it was recognized that coronavirus infection is quite common in humans, as well as in some other animals, although those viruses do not always have the ability to …
As is often the case with microorganisms, and the diseases or infections they can cause, it is important to be specific in our language and our understanding to avoid making embarrassing, or even dangerous, errors in judgment and assumption. This can be particularly true in the case of the herpes viruses, which have a rather …
“Influenza” is a generic term that describes a large host of variant viruses that are closely related. These viruses are not differentiated, as bacteria are, by genus and species but rather through a complex naming process that first distinguishes between the three major types of influenza viruses, either A, B, or C, and then the …
Vibrio is a genus of bacteria that includes several species that are important causes of human disease. The most infamous of these diseases is caused by Vibrio cholerae, which causes cholera. Other significant species causing illness in humans are Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Globally, these infections sicken many people and are sometimes fatal.