HEALTH REVIEWER  Rickettsial diseases are
infections that you can get from
Bacterial Infection (Bacteria)
 are microscopic, single-cell
organisms that live almost
everywhere.
 live in every climate and
location on earth.
 Some are airborne while others
live in water or soil.
 Bacteria live on and inside
plants, animals, and people.
 The word "bacteria" has a
negative connotation, but
bacteria actually perform many
vital functions for organisms
and in the environment.
 bacterial infection is a
proliferation of a harmful
strain of bacteria on or inside
the body. Bacteria can infect
any area of the body.
 They come in three basic shapes:
 Cocci
 Bacilli
 Spirilla
 Tuberculosis, Pneumonia
SYMPTOMS:
 fever.
 feeling tired or fatigued.
 swollen lymph nodes in the neck,
armpits, or groin.
 headache.
 nausea or vomiting.
TREATMENTS:
 Most bacterial diseases can be
treated with antibiotics, or if
the infection is mild, most
people can fight off a bacterial
ifection.
Rickettsial Infection (Rickettsiae)
 The rickettsiae are a diverse
collection of obligately
intracellular Gram-negative
bacteria found in ticks, lice,
fleas, mites, chiggers, and
mammals.
some tick bites. You may get the
infections depending on the
species of the tick.
 Lasts for 7-14 days
SYMPTOMS:
 Most tick-borne rickettsial
diseases cause sudden fever,
chills, and headache (possibly
severe). These symptoms commonly
are associated with malaise
(general uncomfortableness) and
myalgia (pain in a group of
muscles). Nausea, vomiting, and
anorexia are common in early
illness.
TREATMENTS:
 Doxycycline is the drug of
choice; it is preferred over
other tetracyclines for
treatment of rickettsial
infections and, at such low dose
and short duration, is rarely
associated with staining of
teeth in children younger than 8
years. Chloramphenicol may be
used as an alternative
 Adequate antibiotic therapy
initiated early in the first
week of illness is highly
effective and is associated with
the best outcome. Fever usually
subsides within 24-72 hours
after starting antibiotic
therapy.
Viral Infection (Virus)
 A virus is a biological agent
that reproduces inside the cells
of living hosts. When infected
by a virus, a host cell is
forced to produce thousands of
identical copies of the original
virus at an extraordinary rate.
  A viral infection is a
proliferation of a
harmful virus inside the
body. Viruses cannot reproduce
without the assistance of a
host. Viruses infect a host by
introducing their genetic
material into the cells and
hijacking the cell's internal
machinery to make
more virus particles.
 Herpes zoster, Viral Influenza,
Hepatitis B virus.
SYMPTOMS:
 Runny or stuffy nose.
 Sore throat.
 Cough.
 Congestion.
 Slight body aches or a mild
headache.
 Sneezing.
 Low-grade fever.
 Generally feeling unwell
(malaise)
TREATMENTS:
 For most viral infections,
treatments can only help with
symptoms while you wait for your
immune system to fight off the
virus. Antibiotics do not work
for viral infections. There are
antiviral medicines to treat
some viral infections. Vaccines
can help prevent you from
getting many viral diseases.
 drugs used for viral
infection are Acyclovir
(Zovirax), famciclovir (Famvir),
and valacyclovir (Valtrex) are
effective against herpesvirus,
including herpes zoster
Fungal Infection (Fungi)
 fungal infections occur when an
invading fungus takes over an
area of the body and is too much
for the immune system to
handle.
 Fungi can live in the air, soil,
water, and plants. There are
also some fungi that live
naturally in the human body.
Like many microbes, there are
helpful fungi and harmful fungi.
 Ringworms, athletes foot
SYMPTOMS:
 Skin changes, redness, and
itching are common symptoms of
many fungal infections.
 Athlete's foot is a common
infection where the fungus grows
in warm and moist environments.
 A yeast infection may commonly
cause fungal toenail infections.
TREATMENTS:
 You can use over-the-
counter antifungal sprays and
creams
to treat a fungal skin infection
. If your condition doesn't
improve, ask your doctor about
prescription oral or topical
creams. In addition, you can
apply medicated creams to your
skin to treat parasitic
skin infections.
Protozoa
 Protozoa (also protozoan, plural
protozoans) is an informal term
for single-celled eukaryotes,
either free-living or parasitic,
which feed on organic matter
such as other microorganisms or
organic tissues and debris.
 They are under the kingdom
Protista
 Protozoan infections are
parasitic diseases caused by
organisms formerly classified in
the Kingdom Protozoa.
... Protozoan infections are
responsible for diseases that
affect many different types of
organisms, including plants,
animals, and some marine life.
 Amoeba
SYMPTOMS: 
 Infected individuals may be
asymptomatic or have
gastrointestinal signs and
symptoms, sometimes accompanied
by weight loss. Common symptoms,
which appear one to three weeks
after exposure,
include diarrhea, nausea,
stomach cramps, gas, greasy
stool (because fat absorption is
being blocked), and possible
dehydration.
TREATMENTS:

 Daraprim (pyrimethamine)
 Diloxanide.
 Fasigyn (tinidazole)
 Flagyl tablets (metronidazole)
 Mepacrine.
Parasitic Worms

 Parasitic worm:
A worm classified as a parasite.
(A parasite is a disease-causing
organism that lives on or in a
human or another animal and
derives its nourishment from its
host.)

SYMPTOMS:

 skin bumps or rashes.

 weight loss, increased appetite,
or both.
 abdominal pain, diarrhea, and
vomiting.
 sleeping problems.
 anemia.
 aches and pains.
 allergies.
 weakness and general feeling
unwell.
TREATMENTS:

 Common treatments for the

infection include mebendazole
(Vermox, Emverm) and albendazole
(Albenza).