Infectious Diseases
Points to Ponder (and study for the midterm!)
Ebola
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Virus
High mortality rate
Communicable through bodily fluids; most infectious body fluids are blood, stool and vomit.
Symptoms: high fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, eventual bleeding.
No cure although a vaccine is currently being worked on.
Prevention: universal precautions (wash hands, mask, gloves, gown, eye protection such as googles/glasses)
Enterovirus D-68
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Virus
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Communicable through respiratory droplets (cough, sneeze)
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Most people infected will notice cold-like symptoms; most dangerous for children, especially kids with asthma. Some children are developing paralysis.
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Treatment: none, hospitalization if paralysis occurs.
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Prevention: wash hands, don’t touch nose, mouth, eyes, etc.
Escherichia Coli (aka: e. coli)
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Bacteria
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Foodborne illness
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Spread through oral-fecal routes
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Symptoms: diarrhea (sometimes bloody), stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting
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Treatment: most people just wait it out; antibiotics if severe
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Prevention: wash hands, wash and cook food thoroughly.
Flesh-Eating Disease
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Bacteria
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Very rare
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Symptoms: flu-like symptoms with purple blisters, rapid swelling, severe pain, fever, chills, necrotizing fasciitis (skin starts to die)
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Treatment: antibiotics; sometimes amputation of infected parts
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Prevention: clean your wounds, wash your hands
Hepatitis
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See class lecture slides
Influenza
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See class lecture slides
Mad Cow (aka: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy)
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Prion (mutated protein)
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Causes variant Jacob-Creutzfeld (vJCD) in humans
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Transmitted by eating contaminated cow products (must have contaminated spinal cord/fluid/brain matter in cow product that is consumed)

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May take years to decades for symptoms to appear
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Symptoms: dementia-like; loss of coordination, memory loss
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No cure, no treatment
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Prevention: don’t eat contaminated cow products (how do you know???)
Meningitis
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Multiple types: bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic
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Bacterial and viral are spread through respiratory droplets (coughing, sneezing, kissing)
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Symptoms: Fever, headache, stiff neck, may also have nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to light or confusion.
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Treatment: bacterial: antibiotics; viral; wait it out
Prevention: vaccine for bacterial/viral
Norovirus
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Virus
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Transmitted through touching infected surfaces, oral-fecal routes, being around an infected person; highly contagious.
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Symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low grade fever, fatigue
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Treatment: let it run its course, rest and fluids. Hospitalization may be necessary if dehydration occurs.
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Prevention: hygiene – wash hands, clean and disinfect surfaces
Polio
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See class lecture slides
Rhinovirus (aka: common cold)
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Virus
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Annoying but rarely fatal (unless it turns into pneumonia or other more serious disease)
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Communicable through respiratory droplets (the dreaded cough/sneeze)
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Symptoms: sore throat, runny nose, headache, cough
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Treatment: rest, mom’s chicken noodle soup (this actually has scientific evidence behind it!)
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Prevention: wash your hands! Don’t touch your nose, eyes, mouth
Salmonella
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Foodborne illness
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Bacteria
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Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps
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Treatment: antibiotics if severe
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Prevention: cook poultry, ground beef, eggs well.
Syphilis
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Bacteria
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Sexually transmitted infection
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Symptoms include: sores, skin rashes, fever, swollen glands, sore throat, headache, fatigue.
Most people have no symptoms.
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Treatment: antibiotics

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Prevention: practice safer sex practices (condoms, oral sex precautions)
Tuberculosis
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See class lecture slides
Don’t get too bogged down in the details – think about characteristics that make these unique.