Infection versus Antibiotic

Infectious Diseases

Infectious disease - communicable disease.

Infectious Disease : a disease resulting from the presence and activity of a pathogenic microbial agent.

Communicable disease : an infectious disease transmissible (as from person to person) by direct contact with an affected individual or the individual's discharges or by indirect means (as by a vector).

Infectious diseases are disorders caused by organisms — such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasite.

They're normally harmless or even helpful, but under certain conditions, some organisms may cause disease.

Some infectious diseases can be passed from person to person.

Some are transmitted by bites from insects or animals.

And others are acquired by ingesting contaminated food or water or being exposed to organisms in the environment.

Many infectious diseases, such as measles and chickenpox, can be prevented by vaccination.

Frequent and thorough hand hygiene also helps protect you from most infectious diseases.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms vary depending on the organism causing the infection, but often include fever and fatigue. Mild infections may respond to rest and home remedies, while some life-threatening infections may require hospitalization.

Each infectious disease has its own specific signs and symptoms.

General signs and symptoms common to a number of infectious diseases include:

Fever
Diarrhea
Fatigue
Muscle aches
Coughing

Causes

Infectious diseases can be caused by:

Bacteria. These one-cell organisms are responsible for illnesses such as strep throat, urinary tract infections and tuberculosis.

Viruses. Even smaller than bacteria, viruses cause a multitude of diseases — ranging from the common cold to AIDS.

Fungi. Many skin diseases, such as ringworm and athlete's foot, are caused by fungi. Other types of fungi can infect your lungs or nervous system.

Parasites. Malaria is caused by a tiny parasite that is transmitted by a mosquito bite. Other parasites may be transmitted to humans from animal feces.

Infectious agents can enter your body through:

Skin contact or injuries
Inhalation of airborne germs
Ingestion of contaminated food or water
Tick or mosquito bites
Sexual contact

1. Direct contact

An easy way to catch most infectious diseases is by coming in contact with a person or animal who has the infection.

Three ways infectious diseases can be spread through direct contact are:

Person to person. A common way for infectious diseases to spread is through the direct transfer of bacteria, viruses or other germs from one person to another. This can occur when an individual with the bacterium or virus touches, kisses, or coughs or sneezes on someone who isn't infected.

These germs can also spread through the exchange of body fluids from sexual contact. The person who passes the germ may have no symptoms of the disease, but may simply be a carrier.

Animal to person. Being bitten or scratched by an infected animal — even a pet — can make you sick and, in extreme circumstances, can be fatal. Handling animal waste can be hazardous, too. For example, you can acquire a toxoplasmosis infection by scooping your cat's litter box.

Mother to unborn child. A pregnant woman may pass germs that cause infectious diseases to her unborn baby. Some germs can pass through the placenta. Germs in the vagina can be transmitted to the baby during birth.

2. Indirect contact

Disease-causing organisms also can be passed by indirect contact.

Many germs can linger on an inanimate object, such as a tabletop, doorknob or faucet handle.

When you touch a doorknob handled by someone ill with the flu or a cold, for example, you can pick up the germs he or she left behind. If you then touch your eyes, mouth or nose before washing your hands, you may become infected.

3. Insect bites

Some germs rely on insect carriers — such as mosquitoes, fleas, lice or ticks — to move from host to host. These carriers are known as vectors. Mosquitoes can carry the malaria parasite or West Nile virus, also dengue virus , and deer ticks may carry the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.

4. Food contamination

Another way disease-causing germs can infect you is through contaminated food and water. This mechanism of transmission allows germs to be spread to many people through a single source. E. coli, for example, is a bacterium present in or on certain foods — such as under cooked eggs or unpasteurized fruit juice.

Risk factors

While anyone can catch infectious diseases, you may be more likely to get sick if your immune system isn't working properly.

This may occur if:

You're taking steroids or other medications that suppress your immune system, such as anti-rejection drugs for a transplanted organ
You have HIV or AIDS
You have certain types of cancer or other disorders that affect your immune system

In addition, certain other medical conditions may predispose you to infection, including implanted medical devices, malnutrition and extremes of age, among others.

Complications

Most infectious diseases have only minor complications.

But some infections — such as pneumonia, AIDS and meningitis — can become life-threatening.

A few types of infections have been linked to a long-term increased risk of cancer:

Human papillomavirus is linked to cervical cancer
Helicobacter pylori is linked to stomach cancer and peptic ulcers
Hepatitis B and C have been linked to liver cancer

In addition, some infectious diseases may become silent, only to appear again in the future — sometimes even decades later. For example, someone who's had a chickenpox infection may develop shingles much later in life.

Prevention

Follow these tips to decrease your risk of infecting yourself or others:

Wash your hands. Apply Hand hygiene in daily life. This is especially important before and after preparing food, before eating, and after using the toilet. And try not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth with your hands, as that's a common way germs enter the body.

Get vaccination. Immunization can drastically reduce your chances of contracting many diseases. Make sure to keep up to date on your recommended vaccinations, as well as your children's.

Stay home when ill. Don't go to work if you are vomiting, have diarrhea or have a fever. Don't send your child to school if he or she has these signs and symptoms, either.

Prepare food safely. Keep counters and other kitchen surfaces clean when preparing meals. Cook foods until it is well cooked, undone meat, uncooked eggs would carry organism that can make you infected.

In addition, promptly refrigerate leftovers — don't let cooked foods remain at room temperature for extended periods of time.

Practice safe sex. Always use condoms if you or your partner has a history of sexually transmitted infections or high-risk behavior.

Don't share personal items. Use your own toothbrush, comb and razor. Avoid sharing drinking glasses or dining utensils.

Travel wisely. If you're traveling out of the country, talk to your doctor about any special vaccinations — such as meningitis, hepatitis A or hepatitis B, or typhoid fever — you may need.

Diagnosis

Proper interview about your symptoms, health history is very important to determine what may cause your infection, Physical examination also essential to check the severity of the disease. Your doctor may order lab work such as blood test, urine or stool test, or imaging scans to help confirming the most likely cause of infection.

Treatment

Knowing what type of germ is causing your illness makes it easier for your doctor to choose appropriate treatment.

Antibiotics

Treatment can be targeted more precisely if your doctor knows what type of bacteria you're fighting.

Antibiotics are usually reserved for bacterial infections, because these types of drugs have no effect on illnesses caused by viruses.

Proper antibiotic usage is very important to prevent misuse of this medication.

The overuse of antibiotics has resulted in several types of bacteria developing resistance to one or more varieties of antibiotics. This makes the benefit of taking the antibiotic become useless and the causing bacteria become much more difficult to treat.

Antivirals

Drugs have been developed to treat some, but not all, viruses.

Examples include the viruses that cause:

HIV/AIDS
Herpes
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
Influenza

Antifungals

Topical antifungal medications can be used to treat skin or nail infections caused by fungi. Some fungal infections, such as those affecting the lungs or the mucous membranes, can be treated with an oral antifungal. More severe internal organ fungal infections, especially in people with weakened immune systems, may require intravenous antifungal medications.

Anti-parasitics

Some diseases, including malaria, are caused by tiny parasites can be treated by anti malaria

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Alternative medicine

A number of products have been purported to help fend off common illnesses, such as the cold or flu. While some of these substances have appeared promising in early trials, follow-up studies may have had negative or inconclusive results. More research needs to be done.

Some of the substances that have been studied for preventing or shortening the duration of infection include: