Acute (infection): Severe, short-term illness that has a rapid onset.

(Aguda)

Athlete’s Foot: A contagious fungal foot infection that causes the feet to itch, blister and crack.

Autoimmune disease: When the immune system attacks our body’s own cells, tissues and organs,
thinking that they are unwanted invaders.

Bronchopneumonia: Inflammation of the lungs, arising in the bronchi or bronchioles.

Cancer: Any harmful growth or tumor caused by irregular and uncontrolled cell division; it may
spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or the blood stream.

Chickenpox: (Varicela) A very contagious viral infection that causes a blistery red rash.

Cholera: An acute infectious disease of the small intestine that causes frequent watery diarrhea,
vomiting, muscle cramps and severe dehydration.

Chronic (infection): Illness that lasts for a long time, or that shows a common reappearance.

Chronic lung disease: A long-term illness that affects the function of the lungs.

Coronary artery disease: The build-up of cholesterol in the inside layers of the arteries.

Diabetes: A metabolic illness characterized by excessive urine discharge and constant thirst.
Known as: diabetes mellitus or diabetes insipidus.

Diphtheria (Difteria): An acute and highly contagious bacterial disease causing inflammation of
the mucous membranes, formation of a false membrane in the throat which hinders breathing and
swallowing, and potentially fatal heart and nerve damage by a bacterial toxin in the blood.

Ebola: Virus with ribonucleic acid that produces fever, muscle aches, vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding
and destruction of internal tissues in humans.

Giardiasis: Infection of the intestine with a flagellate protozoan, which causes diarrhea and other
symptoms.

Hepatitis A: An infection of the liver caused by a virus that is usually spread by swallowing
infected food and water. It is also known as infectious hepatitis.

Hepatitis C: An infection of the liver caused by a virus that is usually spread by blood and blood
products and sometimes through sexual contact.

Immune System: A system (including the thymus, bone marrow and lymphoid tissue) that protects
the body from foreign substances and pathogenic organisms by producing an immune response.

Jaundice: A medical condition with yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, arising from excess
of the pigment bilirubin and typically caused by obstruction of the bile duct, by liver disease, or by
excessive breakdown of red blood cells.

Latent (infection): In a dormant or hidden stage. Also known as hidden or silent infections.
Lymphoid tissue: (Tejido linfoide) Makes up the lymphatic system – the spaces and vessels
between the body organs and tissues through which lymph circulates and removes bacteria and
other unwelcome invaders from the body.

Malaria: An infectious disease that is passed to humans by female mosquitoes. It affects the red
blood cells and has fever, chills and sweating as its symptoms.

Measles: (Sarampión) An acute, contagious, infectious disease caused by a virus. It usually occurs
in children and causes red spots on the skin, fever and inflammation of the air passages of the head
and throat.

Meningitis: Inflammation of the membrane that covers the brain and spinal cord, caused by either a
bacteria (bacterial meningitis) or a virus (viral meningitis). Its symptoms are fever, vomiting,
intense headache and stiff neck.

Pneumonia: Acute or chronic inflammation of the lungs.

Polio: A viral infection that attacks the nerve cells that activate the muscles, the brainstem (the base
of the brain that connects with the spinal cord) and the spinal cord.

Rabies: An acute, infectious and often fatal disease that attacks the central nervous system (brain
and spinal cord) and is passed to humans by the bite of an infected animal.

Shingles: (Herpes) A disease in adults caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox in children.
It causes an inflammation of the spinal and cranial sensory nerve cells that will result in the
appearance of blisters or cysts along the affected nerve path. It usually affects only one side of the
body and causes sudden, severe attacks of pain.

Sinusitis: Inflammation of a sinus or the sinuses, especially in the nasal area.

Strep Throat: (Faringitis estreptocócica) A throat infection that causes fever and inflammation of
the tonsils.

Stool: A piece of faeces.

Tetanus: A bacterial disease marked by rigidity and spasms of the voluntary muscles.

Thymus: A small glandular organ found behind the top of the breastbone. It’s mostly made up of
lymphatic tissue and is the site of T cell (a type of white blood cell) differentiation.

Tuberculosis: An infectious disease that is characterized by the formation of tubercles on the lungs
and other tissues of the body. A tubercle is a nodule or swelling, especially a mass of lymphocytes
(white blood cells) and epithelioid cells (cells that resemble epithelium) that form the wound of
tuberculosis.

Typhoid fever: (Fiebre tifoidea) An acute, infectious disease caused by bacteria that is spread by
contaminated food or water. Its symptoms include fever, headache, coughing, bleeding intestines
and rose-coloured spots on the skin.
Urinary Tract Infection: An infection of any organ (kidneys, ureters, urethra) of the urinary tract
(tract involved in the formation and excretion of urine).

Vaccine: A mixture made up of weak or dead disease-causing microbes that is given to prevent,
improve or treat an infectious disease.

Whooping cough: (Tos ferina) A bacterial infection that has symptoms including runny nose, low-
grade fever, inflammation of the eye membrane and a characteristic cough that ends in a ‘whoop’
caused by the forceful inspiration of air.

Yellow fever: An infectious tropical disease that is passed by mosquitoes. Those infected will have
high fever, jaundice (a yellowing of the skin), black vomit, an absence of urination and bleeding in
the digestive tract.

What is an infectious disease?

An infectious disease is any disease caused by a pathogen (germ) such as a virus, bacteria, parasite,
or fungus. Although we will mostly discuss infectious diseases in people on this page, other living
organisms such as animals, plants, and microorganisms can all be made ill by an infectious disease.

Pathogens

"Pathogen" is the scientific name for "germ." Infectious diseases are caused by pathogens. When
your mom says to wash your hands because of germs, she wants you to get all the pathogens off
your hands so they won't go into your mouth and body. Maybe after reading this, you will wash
your hands a bit more!

Pathogens are tiny organisms (called microorganisms) that invade the body and make it sick.
Examples of pathogens are viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi.

Microbiology – Bacteriology – Microorganism – Microbe – Germ – Disease - Chronic infections –

Common cold (resfriado común) – Bacteria – Syndrome – Physiology – Low risk (riesgo bajo) –
High risk (riesgo alto) - Infectious disease - Infectious Agent – Infection – HIV virus – Virus –
Spread (propagación) – Illness – Body fluids - Bloodborne pathogens (patógenos transmitidos por
la sangre) – Bleeding (sangrante) – Animal and human feces – Urine – Saliva – Sputum – Blood
simple – Vector – Needlestick or Sharp (Pinchazo de aguja o afilado) – Ingest (ingerir) - Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) (Equipo de protección personal) – Antibodies – Fever – Blood test –
Decontamination – Disinfecting – Hand washing – Sneeze (estornudo) – Cough (tos) – Waste
(residuos) – Nausea - Vomiting (vómitos) – Rash (erupción) – Semen – Vaginal secretions – Night
sweats (sudores nocturnos) – Allergy – Diahrrea – Fatigue – Germs – Chills (resfriado) – Antibiotic
– Stomach cramps (calambres en el estómago) – Symptom – Parasite – Uncooked food (comida
cruda) – Bite – Inhalation – Dengue virus – Immunology – Cystitis – Mucus (moco) – Fungi –
Animall cell – Plant cell – Pandemic – Epidemic – Morphology