Microbiology

Microbiology Study Guide

teardrop-shaped lesions filled with fluids that start appearing on the scalp and trunk, which then spread across the face and limbs. It is possible to prevent the disease by vaccination. In adults, when the virus that causes chickenpox attacks multiple times, it leads to the development of shingles. Generally, the disease is caused when the viruses are not killed but remain inactive in the ganglia of the nervous system of the human body, activating again and again. Shingles is also highly contagious and leads to the development of painful lesions all around the trunk of the body. The disease can be cured by using acyclovir. Rubella Rubella is popularly known as German measles and is caused by the RNA virus. Symptoms include mild rashes on the skin starting on the trunk of the body and later developing all over the body. The disease may be fatal to pregnant women because it can affect the fetus, causing congenital rubella syndrome. Further, the disease can have damaging effects on the heart, eyes, and ears of an affected person. The disease can be treated by the attenuated rubella virus in the MMR vaccine. Fungal Diseases Cryptococcosis Cryptococcosis is a fatal fungal disease that is caused by two species, cryptococcus neoformans and cryptococcus gattii . It is generally caused by inhaling infectious propagule existing in the environment, and is an opportunistic infection for AIDS. Other causes of cryptococcosis include lymphomas, sarcoidosis, and liver cirrhosis. Patients on long-term corticosteroid therapy are at higher risk of contracting this disease. One of the defined treatments for cryptococcosis is the oral medication of Intravenous Amphotericin B combined with flucytosine. Histoplasmosis Species of the yeast Histoplasma capsulatum cause this fungal disease. Histoplasmosis has the same effects as tuberculosis. The extreme form of this disease is caused when it starts spreading to other organs in the body. The major cause of the disease is bat and bird droppings. The disease can be treated by the drug Amphotericin B. Aspergillosis Caused by the fungal species Aspergillus Fumigatus , the infection grows in the tissues of lungs in the human body. In extreme cases, the fungal development obstructs the respiratory passageways by forming a compact ball of mycelium. Treatment of aspergillosis is done through surgery, as the fungal mass has to be removed. Protozoan Diseases Pneumocystispneumonia This disease is caused by the protozoan species Pneumocystis Carinii . There have been considerable

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