{
14 Infamous pathogen factoids
including the basics and life
with the disease. Image
Disease of the Day
Plasmodium falciparum
Malaria
[Domain: Eukarya; Kingdom: Protist]
"Plasmodium - File:5942 Lores.jpg." Encyclopedia of Life.
N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
Basics
o Caused by four species of
protists
o First infects the liver cells, then
moves to the red blood cells,
producing more parasites to
infect other cells
Infection Rates
o From the WHO, 128 million
cases in 2013 – caused an
estimated 584,000, deaths mostly
among children (78% of deaths
less than 5 years of age)
Transmission
o Mosquito vector, from
Anopheles mosquito bite
In Six Words
o Fever, anemia, respiratory
distress, low BP
How did malaria influence the selection of
sickle cell trait in humans? Why? Turn and
talk to your neighbor.
Image
Knowledge Check
Polleverywhere data on interested diseases;
the larger the word indicates more responses
in the data set.
HIV [Virus]
Basics
o Human immunodeficiency virus
attacks immune cells
o
Image
Leads to AIDS
Infection Rates
o From the WHO, 2.1 million infections
in 2013
o CDC Est 1,201,100 aged 13 years+ with
HIV in the US, including 14% who are
unaware of their infection.
Transmission
o Sexual Activity/IV Drug Use
o Can be passed from mother to child en
utero and via breast milk
In Six Words
o “Meds, nerve damage, dementia,
stigma, isolation” Video 1 Video 2
Basics
o 40+ Fungi species that cause skin, hair, and nail infections
o Can be found on many parts of the body, including scalp, body, feet, etc.
Prevention
o Good hygiene
o Avoid sharing hairbrushes, hats, clothing
o Wash hands after petting pets
Transmission
o Fungal spores in the air and/or environments like day-cares and homes
with pets
In Six Words
o Red ring, itching, scaling, cracking skin Video
Trichophyton rubrum
Ringworm
[Domain: Eukarya; Kingdom: Fungi]
Image
Ebola
[Virus]
From the WHO - Cumulative Ebola case
information and cases for the past 21 days for the
Situation Report, November 26, 2014.
Basics
o European lab, workers exposed to the
tissues from African green monkeys
in 1967
o In Africa, infections related to the
killing or butchering, and eating of
primates
Infection Rates
o As of March, 2015, the recent
outbreak figures estimate 24,701
infections and about 10,194 deaths.
o Fatality rate of close to 90%
Transmission
o Bodily fluids with an infected person
In Six Words
o Hemorrhagic fever, excessive
bleeding, often death Video 1 Video 2
"Electron micrograph of an Ebola
virus." World of Microbiology and
Immunology. Ed. Brenda Wilmoth Lerner
and K. Lee Lerner. Detroit: Gale,
2007. Science in Context. Web. 25 Mar.
2015.
Image
Basics
o Bacterial infection of the throat
and tonsils
o 5–10% of all sore throats
Prevention
o Wash hands often
o Cover your mouth while
coughing or sneezing
Transmission
o Coughing and/or Sneezing
o Close contact with person(s)
infected
In Six Words
o Soreness, red tonsils with white
patches Video
Streptococcus pyogenes
Strep Throat
[Domain: Bacteria; Kingdom: Bacteria]
Image
Image
Basics
o First reported in Lyme, Connecticut, in
1974
Infection Rates
o In 2012, 95% of cases were reported in 13
upper midwest and New England states
Transmission
o Tick vector, passed through a tick bite
In Six Words
o Joint pain, memory loss, nerve damage
o Video
Borellia burgdorferi
Lyme Disease
[Domain: Bacteria; Kingdom: Bacteria]
Image
Salmonella bongori
Basics
o Salmonella bacterial infection in the
stomach and intestines
o New, drug resistant strains
Prevention
o Wash hands before handling food
o Wash produce before consuming
o Fully cook your food
Transmission
o Eating contaminated food
In Six Words
o Nausea, vomiting, abdominal
cramping, diarrhea, dehydration
o Animation
Salmonellosis
[Domain: Bacteria; Kingdom: Bacteria]
Image
Basics
o Produces dormant spores that can be
found in the soil they are activated once
in the body
Infection Rates
o In 2001, powdered anthrax spores
were mailed to US Senators, 5 deaths
of 22 infections
Bacillus anthracis
Anthrax
[Domain: Archaea;
Kingdom: Archaea]
Transmission
o Breathing in spores
o Contaminated food/water
o Through a cut in the skin
In Six Words
o Drenching sweats, nausea, vomiting,
confusion, dizziness
o Video
A colored
transmission
electron
micrograph
(TEM)
of Toxoplasma
gondii parasites
(green), which
cause
toxoplasmosis.
Image
Toxoplasma gondii Toxoplasmosis
[Domain: Eukarya; Kingdom: Protist]
Image
Basics
o
Many infected do not have symptoms because
parasite can remain inactive for long periods of
time in our muscles and brain
Prevention
o Wash produce before consuming
o Cook meat @ the appropriate temp
o Change litter daily, [develop 1 to 5 days after
first pooped]
Transmission
o Exposure through cat feces
o Undercooked meat [especially pork, lamb,
venison]
In Six Words
o Flu-like, eye pain, miscarriage, brain damage
Video
Basics
o Caused by Coccidioides fungi in the soil in dry areas that lack
rainfall; endemic to the southwestern US, Mexico, Central and South
America
Infection Rates
o In 2011 over 20,000 reported cases, the majority in Arizona and
California
o Since 1990, 3,000+ have died
Transmission
o Fungal spores in the air and/or environment
In Six Words
o Fever, cough, headache, aches, sometimes pneumonia Story
Valley Fever
[Domain: Eukarya; Kingdom: Fungi]
Image
Basics
o Cause an allergic skin reaction in most
people exposed
Prevention
o In 2011 over 20,000 reported cases, the
majority in Arizona and California
o Since 1990, 3,000+ have died
Transmission
o Caused by oily resin called urushiol,
either through direct or indirect
contact
In Six Words
o Itchiness, swelling, pimple-like bumps
that ooze
Poison Ivy
"Poison ivy." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed. Laurie J.
Fundukian. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2012.Science in Context.
Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
[Domain: Eukarya; Kingdom: Plant]
Image
Basics
o Causes inflammation of the meninges, the thin membranes surrounding
the brain and spinal cord caused by bacteria, viruses, or even fungi
o Infants are at a higher risk than any other group
Prevention
o There are vaccines available for bacterial meningitis
Transmission
o Blood borne, typically another infection that spreads to the brain
In Six Words
o Headache, stiff neck, photophobia, eventually coma Video
Neisseria meningitidis
Bacterial Meningitis
[Domain: Bacteria; Kingdom: Bacteria]
Image
Basics
o A virus from animals like monkeys,
rats, and squirrels similar to
smallpox
Prevention
o Restrictions on illegal animal trade
o Fully cooking meat
o Protective gloves when dealing with
animals or slaughtering animals
Transmission
o Direct contact with the blood, bodily
fluids of infected animals and from
human to human through contact
with skin lesions secretions
In Six Words
o Swollen lymph nodes, muscle
aches, lesions
MonkeyPox
[Virus]
Image
Image
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
[AKA TB]
[Domain: Bacteria; Kingdom: Bacteria]
"A stylized scanning electron microscopic image of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This bacterium
causes..."Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia: Evolution.
Ed. Michael Hutchins. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Science in
Context. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
Basics
o Historically known as
“consumption” – infection in
the lungs
o Found in 4,000 year old
Egyptian mummies
o New, drug resistant strains
emerging
Infection Rates
o From the WHO, 9 million
infections and 1.5 million
deaths in 2013
Transmission
o Inhaling contaminated droplets
in the air
In Six Words
o Flu-like, lethargy, weakness,
wasting away Video
Image
Works Cited
"Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)." World of Biology. Gale, 1999. Science in Context. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
Davidson, Tish. "Strep throat." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed. Laurie J. Fundukian. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale,
2011. Science in Context. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
Carson-DeWitt, Rosalyn. "Dengue fever." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed. Laurie J. Fundukian. 4th ed.
Detroit: Gale, 2011. Science in Context. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
"Lyme Disease." World of Health. Gale, 2010. Science in Context. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
Frey, Rebecca J., Jennifer E. Sisk, and Tish Davidson. "Lyme disease." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed.
Laurie J. Fundukian. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2011.Science in Context. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
"Salmonella." World of Microbiology and Immunology. Ed. Brenda Wilmoth Lerner and K. Lee Lerner. Detroit:
Gale, 2009. Science in Context. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
Paradise, Lee Ann, and Karl Finley. "Poison ivy and poison oak." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed. Laurie J.
Fundukian. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Science in Context. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
Crutcher, James M., and Stephen L. Hoffman. "Malaria." Medical Microbiology. 4th Edition. U.S. National
Library of Medicine, 1996. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
"Plasmodium - File:5942 Lores.jpg." Encyclopedia of Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
Carson-DeWitt, Rosalyn. "Meningitis." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth
Lerner. 5th ed. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2014. Science in Context. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
Monkeypox/Orthopoxvirose simienne." Weekly Epidemiological Record 86.41 (2011): 448+. Science in Context. Web.
24 Mar. 2015.
Hoyle, Brian. "Ebola virus." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. 5th
ed. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2014. Science in Context. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
Hoyle, Brian. "Hemorrhagic fevers and diseases." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda
Wilmoth Lerner. 5th ed. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2014. Science in Context. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
"Ebola virus." UXL Encyclopedia of Science. Detroit: UXL, 2001. Science in Context. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
Ebola. Rep. World Health Organization, 2015. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
"Tuberculosis." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. 5th ed.
Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2014. Science in Context. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
Davidson, Tish, Rebecca J. Frey, and Laura Jean Cataldo. "Tuberculosis." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed.
Laurie J. Fundukian. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Science in Context. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.