Equipping People To Make Sense Of What They Are Told
Infection is the detrimental colonisation of a host organism by a foreign species,
the infecting organism seeks to utilise the host's resources to multiply, usually
at the expense of the host. The infecting organism, or pathogen, interferes with
the normal functioning of the host and can lead to chronic wounds, gangrene, loss
of an infected limb, and even death.
The branch of medicine that focuses on infections and pathogens is known as “Infectious
Disease”.
The host's response to infection is inflammation.
A pathogen is usually considered a microscopic organism, however the definition is
broader, and includes:
Parasites - A symbiosis between parasite and host, whereby the relationship is beneficial
for the former but detrimental to the latter, is characterised as parasitism.
Fungi – Some fungi are parasites on humans and may can cause serious diseases several
of which may be fatal if untreated. those with immuno-deficiencies are particularly
susceptible.
Viruses - From the Latin virus meaning toxin or poison. A small infectious agent
that can only replicate inside the cells of another organism. From the viewpoint
of a materials scientist, viruses can be regarded as organic nanoparticles.
Prions - an infectious agent that is composed primarily of protein. All known prion
diseases affect the structure of the brain or other neural tissue, and all are currently
untreatable and are invariably fatal.
Four types of anti-infective drugs exist:
Antibacterial.
Antiviral.
Antitubercular.
Antifungal
Primary and secondary infection may either refer to succeeding infections or different
stages of one and the same infection.
Bacterial and Viral infections can both cause symptoms such as:
Malaise.
Fever.
Chills.
This can be problematic, even for a health professional, to diagnose which is the
cause of a specific infection. It's important to distinguish between the two because
viral infections cannot be cured by antibiotics.
Taking common sense precautions helps guard against infection.
At Home:
Wash your hands before and after using the toilet.
Wash your hands before and after preparing foodstuffs.
Be aware of food hygiene.
Avoid sharing towels.
Don’t leave your toothbrush within six foot of the toilet pan.
Clean regularly:
Door handles.
Light switches.
Toilet handles.
Telephones (mobiles and land line).
Computer Keyboards.
Health:
If you are in hospital ensure that staff, including health professionals, wash their
hands and use antiseptic hand gels. (both are important)
If pain, swelling or redness develop around wounds, either in hospital or at home
bring it to the attention of medical staff. Be sure to persist until you receive
appropriate treatment.
If you are prescribed antibiotics be sure to finish the course as prescribed. Taking
less than the prescribed amount may lead to incrementally resistant strains of bacteria
developing.
Any infectious disease that can be transmitted (in some instances, by a vector) from
non-human animals to humans or from humans to non-human animals (the latter is sometimes
called reverse zoonosis) In a study of 1415 pathogens known to affect humans, 61%
were zoonotic. The emergence of a pathogen into a new host species is called disease
invasion.
Infectious disease surrounds us – It is one of the basic processes of ecology alongside
others such as predation, competition and photosynthesis. Throughout history predators
are usually big beasts that eat their prey from the outside in, disease causing agents
(pathogens) are small beasts that eat their prey from within.
Accidents happen, aberrations occur, opportunities and circumstances change and when
a pathogen leaps from a non-human animal into a person and by so doing causes a disease
problem the result is known as “zoonosis”.
Interspecies pathogen leap is a common occurrence, more than 50% of human infectious
diseases are shared between non-human animals and people; diseases such as:
Bovine tuberculosis.
Bubonic plague.
Ebola.
Hendra.
Lyme Disease.
Marburg.
Monkey Pox.
Nipah.
Rabies.
West Nile Fever.
Yellow fever.
Close contact between two species presents an opportunity for a pathogen to move
from one species to another, broadening its horizons by expanding its ability to
spread from its original reservoir host into a new species and by so doing increasing
its abundance and geographic reach.
Close contact between non-human animals and humans occurs in differing ways, animal
husbandry, domestic pets (exotic type), consumption of wild animals, and closer contact
with wild life by disruptive penetration of humans into the wild landscape.
Speed of travel and its availability as well as the large numbers of humans existing
on this crowded planet we live on are contributing factors once a pathogen crosses
over from non-human animals to humans.
Infectious disease is caused by parasites (pathogens) capable of damaging their host.
These include some, but not all, members of the viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa,
worms, and prions.
Infections are held in check, where possible, by the immune system, operating at
several levels, depending on the evasion strategies adopted by the pathogen.
