As civilization progresses and grows, so does the amount of waste produced. Unfortunately, much of this waste can contain harmful disease-causing substances, such as bacteria, fungi and viruses, which can be transmitted to humans. Infectious waste...
Gastritis occurs when the lining of the stomach becomes inflamed. When the inflammation is due to an infection, such as a bacteria or virus, the condition may be called infectious gastritis. Symptoms of infectious gastritis vary depending on the...
Bacteria are everywhere, on all surfaces, in the environment and on and inside our bodies. Some bacteria are good for you and help digest food, kill other disease causing organisms and provide nutrients. But some bacteria can cause serious, even...
The large intestine (also known as the colon) is responsible for the absorption of water and compaction of feces. Although bacteria typically are able to live in the colon without causing any active infection, the colon is susceptible to...
Colitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the lining of the colon, or large intestines. Infectious colitis is irritation of the digestive tract caused by an infectious agent, such as a bacteria, virus or parasite. It may result in...
Most children will have infections and colds that are usually not that severe. Some infections will resolve given time, rest and plenty of fluids, while others will need to be treated. Thus, all of a child's illnesses should be brought to the...
The ingestion of potentially contaminated food and beverages provides an easy portal of entry for infectious organisms that may affect the colon, or large intestine. Although the gastrointestinal system possesses several mechanisms to protect its...
Infectious lung diseases are defined as pathogen-caused illnesses that can be transmitted from person to person. They range in severity from mild to deadly, and while some are very common, others are quite rare. Vaccinations have all but...
An infectious disease, also called a communicable disease, comes from one of four pathogens--bacterial, fungal, parasitic or viral--and grows within or on the body. Methods of transmission from one person to another include direct contact...
A communicable disease is an infectious illness transmitted from one person to another. Bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites can cause communicable infections. The route of person-to-person transmission varies by the type of infectious agent and...
Flu viruses are spread by people who have the illness. The most common forms of transmission are coughing and sneezing. Authorities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that a person with the flu is most infectious beginning the...
Communicable and infectious diseases pass from one person to another by one of four methods. Blood transmission requires direct contact with the blood. Fecal to oral requires touching feces of contaminated objects and then touching your mouth....
The eye, like any part of the body, can become the victim of an infection. An eye infection can affect the eyelids or eyelashes, the inner pink lining of the eyelid or the eye itself. Generally, symptoms include eye pain, blurry vision and red...
Non-infectious diseases are disease processes that do not have a bacterial or viral origin. Compared to infectious diseases, non-infectious diseases are not contagious or communicable. Non-infectious diseases such as cancers and heart disease are...
The brain is located in a privileged position in the human body. It is protected from trauma by a hard skull and from blood-borne infections by the blood-brain barrier, an anatomical barricade to the passage of large bacteria or substances into...
The environment abounds with potential sources of infectious diseases. Without the protection of the immune system, infections would quickly overwhelm the body. Certain viruses, bacteria, fungi and a variety of parasites possess mechanisms to...
Colitis is the medical term that describes inflammation of the colon, or large intestine. Infectious colitis is inflammation of the colon caused by an infectious agent. These include bacteria, viruses and parasites. Infectious colitis is usually a...
Many different types of infectious diseases affect the human population. Numerous viruses, bacteria and fungi are all capable of causing disease. They can directly invade and cause disease, or an infectious disease can develop as a result of...
Some diseases occur naturally in the body, such as arthritis and cancer. Others occur as the result of an infection caused by some outside organism such as a virus or bacterium. Due to medical advances, many infectious diseases that once were...
Infectious agents, such as viruses, bacteria and fungi, can spread disease from one living being to another. Bird flu, or avian influenza, is an infectious respiratory disease caused by a virus that occurs naturally among birds, according to the...
Viruses are microorganisms that enter into the cells of the body. They take over the structure of the cell and then redirect it to produce more viruses. Viruses can cause illnesses in humans and there are many different examples. Some viruses...
Epstein-Barr virus, also called EBV, is a common worldwide virus that most people have been exposed to at some point during their lives. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 95 percent of adults in the United...
Epstein-Barr virus is a common, globally-occurring human virus and infection most frequently occurs during early childhood. In this age group, infection typically proves asymptomatic or causes a mild, unremarkable flu-like illness. Among teenagers...
Communicable diseases claim more lives globally than other fatal events, according to MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health. These diseases are generally bacterial, viral, fungal, or protozoic in origin. Infection usually...
Infectious diarrhea is quite common and although potentially life threatening, most cases cause only temporary symptoms that are uncomfortable and inconvenient. In some cases, infectious diarrhea may necessitate treatment with prescription...
In humans, "disease" is often used more broadly to refer to any condition of the body or one of its parts that impairs normal functioning and is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms. Disease is related to external and internal...
Urinary tract infections are the result of infectious bacteria gaining access to the urinary tract. Urinary tract infections are especially common for women, and when women develop these infections, they often have primarily infectious bacteria in...
Stomach flu occurs when the bacteria in your stomach are out of balance. Bad bacteria has grown and multiplied, so now your stomach is overpopulated with bad bacteria. One way to treat your infectious diarrhea and restore your intestines back to...
Cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the deep layers of the skin, most commonly caused by the bacterium group A streptococcus or Staphylococcus aureus. The legs and face prove the most common sites of cellulitis. An abscess is a localized area...