Diseases Flashcards
What is the cause of tuberculosis?
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (bacterium)
What are the general characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis?
- acid fast
- rod shaped
What is the route of transmission of tuberculosis?
through air (coughing and sneezing)
What are the symptoms of tuberculosis?
Long lasting cough (weeks), chest pain, coughing up blood/sputum, weakness, weight loss, loss of appetite, chills, fever, and night sweats
What is the cause of bubonic plague?
Yersinia pestis (bacterium)
What are the general characteristics of Yersinia pestis?
- gram negative
- rod shaped
What is the route of transmission of bubonic plauge?
- Bite of an infected flea or exposure to infected material through a break in the skin (infected fleas from rats are most common)
- Vector-borne
- Prairie dogs, cats
What are the symptoms of bubonic plague?
Fever, headache, chills, weakness, swollen and painful lymph nodes (buboes)
What is the cause of tetanus?
Clostridium tetani (bacterium)
What are the general characteristics of Clostridium tetani?
- Gram-positive
- Rod shaped
What is the route of transmission of tetanus?
- Environmental (soil, dust, manure) - forms endospores
- Broken skin, usually caused by contaminated objects
What are the symptoms of tetanus?
Headache, muscle spasms (including in the jaw - lockjaw), painful muscle stiffness, trouble swallowing, seizures, fever and sweating, high blood pressure and elevated heart rate
What is the cause of smallpox?
Genus Orthopoxvirus
What are the general characteristics of Genus Orthopoxvirus?
- Ovoid (egg shaped)
- dsDNA genome
What is the route of transmission of smallpox?
- Person to person
- Usually, direct and prolonged face to face contact
- Bodily fluids or contaminated objects
- Air transmission is rare
What are the symptoms of smallpox?
- General ill feeling (fever, achiness, and high fever)
- Followed by rash (starts in mouth), then bumps filled with fluid that become hard and scab
What is the cause of rabies?
Lyssaviruses
What are the general characteristics of Lyssaviruses?
- RNA genome
- “Bullet” shape (one flat end and one curved end)
What is the route of transmission of rabies?
Infected saliva is passed into an uninfected animal/individual (usually animal to human)
What are the symptoms of rabies?
- Flu like symptoms initially along with discomfort around the bite location
- Progresses to neurological symptoms (confusion, agitation, hallucinations, insomnia, etc.)
What is the cause of pertussis?
Bordetella pertussis (bacterium)
What are the general characteristics of Bordetella pertussis?
- Gram-negative
- Coccobacillus (very short rod)
What is the route of transmission of pertussis?
- Person to person
- Coughing, sneezing, or close contact
What are the symptoms of pertussis?
- Similar to cold initially (runny nose, low grade fever, occasional cough, and pauses in breathing for infants)
- After 1 to 2 weeks, severe coughing fits (lead to characteristic “whooping” sound; coughing can be hard enough to break ribs), vomiting, and exhaustion (this stage can last up to 10 weeks)
