Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Quiz between infection and inflammation
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Quiz between infection and inflammation
Infection is the establishment of a pathogen in its host after invasion. Also is state produced by the establishment of an infective agent in or on a suitable host and this germ or pathogen is referred to as a parasitic organism. They are with the host in in anticipation of feeding on them. Infection is the process in which bacteria, viruses, and parasites invaded and multiply in the body. These foreign object are not normally visible within the body. An infection may cause no symptoms and be subclinical or it may cause symptoms and be clinically apparent. Infection may evade or overcome the body 's natural defenses at each step that had contact with the host. Infections have the potential to cause illness, but in many cases the infected person …show more content…
Pseudomonas: The germs live in soil, water and on the skin, and are rare. But cause problem for people who have weak immune systems or who are in hospital for some time.
Clostridium difficile: This infection is most common in people who are already on antibiotics. Certain bacteria can live normally in the bowel in just the right numbers to keep it healthy.
Escherichia coli: (E. coli) infections also affect the gut causing diarrhea and fever
Listeria monocytogenes: The infection is caused by eating contaminated food. It is rare, but can be serious if caught by pregnant women, unborn or newborn babies, elderly people, or those with a weak immune system.
VIRUSES
Viruses can only grow and reproduce inside other living cells called their host. Most viruses cannot survive very long outside their host cell. When viruses enter our body they can multiply and cause illnesses. Common cold viruses occur often in healthy people and do not usually cause major problems. But these viruses can cause serious infections, such as pneumonia, in people whose immune systems are weak.
Common cold viruses
Herpes
Clostridium difficile, otherwise known as C. diff, is a species of spore-forming, anaerobic, gram-positive bacteria that is known to cause watery diarrhea. 1 The genus name, Clostridium refers to the spindle shape of the organism while Difficile means difficult in Latin due to the fact that this organism thrives in unfavorable conditions and is very difficult to isolate.4 The incidence of getting CDI has increased over the years due to new strains of increased toxin production of the bacteria and increased resistance to antibiotics.2 It is a gastrointestinal infection, and the most common cause of infectious diarrhea.1 C. difficile was first identified in the feces of healthy newborns back in the 1930’s and by 1935, it was considered normal flora. 2 During 1974, researchers conducted that about 21% of patients that were treated with an antibiotic called clindamyacin reported diarrhea and about 10% of them reported to have conducted pseudomembranous colitis as a side effect of this treatment. 2 It was in 1978 where C. diff had been known to cause anti-biotic associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. 2 It is known to form spores that resist many disinfectants; it also survives for several months on different surfaces.1 It is a common form of a nosocomial infection and the prevalence of becoming infected with C. diff is about 0-15% in a health care setting. 3 The spores survive well in environments such as soil, water and animals and is distributed worldwide. 4 CDI produces two toxins (Toxin A and B), which are cytotoxic and cause tissue necrosis.4
A common hospital acquired condition that nurses see now days is clostridium difficile. This bacterium usually invades patients who have been on long-term antibiotics that have killed off bacteria that protect them from infection. C. diff is passed from host to host by both direct and indirect contact making it readily moved from patient to patient in hospital settings (Mayo, 2013, 1). Nurses can use the QSEN competencies and KSAs to help treat and prevent hospital acquired conditions such as C.diff.
Bloodborne pathogens are viruses that deteriorate cells within the body. A virus is a submicroscopic parasitic organism that feeds on cells. Viruses are dependent on cells for their nutrients so the virus survive and reproduce. Every virus consists of either deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA). A virus can contain a strand of one or the other, but not both. This RNA or DNA is contained within a protein shell for protection. A virus is a parasite that is dependent upon cells for metabolic and reproductive requirements. By using the cell the virus makes the host very ill by redirecting cellular activity to make more viruses.
The objective of the host is to "escape" from the pathogen. This can be done through the use of the immune system or by quickly dying. When a host dies with the pathogen still inside the pathogen dies as well. Resistance to invaders evolved as a result of the development of the mechanism of immunity. The development of immunity depends on the recognition of differences in chemical structures of substances.
The job of the immune system is to keep “foreign” invaders out of the body, or if one gets in, to seek it out and kill it. These foreign invaders are called pathogens, which are tiny organisms that can cause an infection in the body. Pathogens can be bacteria, parasites, and fungi (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/immuneSystem/pages/whatisimmunesystem.aspx).
The morphology was viewed under microscope 1000x magnification using oil immersion. The microorganism has rod shape and purple colouring at the end of the Gram stain procedure. This implies that the bacteria had only one cell layer, which absorbed the crystal violet stain. Therefore, the microorganism is gram positive, and based on the morphology, the microorganism is Bacillus cereus (Brooks et al. 2013).b. Describe two ways the food(s) could have become contaminated. Food gets contaminated in several ways. Notably, all hands look clean but may still harbour bacteria. Uncovered coughs as well as sneezes may cause the spread of pathogens. In most cases, food borne pathogens
Pathogens are a type of microorganism that spreads viral and bacterial diseases. These diseases when present in human blood and body fluids are known as blood borne pathogens, and can spread from one person to another. (Worcester polytechnic institute) The most serious types of blood borne diseases are the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), which can cause liver damage; and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), which is responsible for causing AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). The blood borne pathogens can be spread when the blood or body fluids (semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk, and amniotic fluid) of an infected individual comes into contact with mucous membranes or an open sore or cut on the skin of another person. Mucus membranes are located in the eyes, nose, mouth, and other areas as well. ("Bloodborne pathogens: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia") Two of the most common ways that pathogens are transmitted is through the exchange of fluids during sexual intercourse or by sharing infected IV needles. (Worcester polytechnic institute)
Infectious diseases are the disorders caused by organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasite who live both inside and outside our bodies and are normally helpful but can cause infectious diseases to the human (body) system under certain conditions. And for a disease to be infectious, there is what is called ‘’chain of infection’’ that takes place before. And this can be seen in the below diagram:
Whooping cough is a vaccine-preventable disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis. Despite having an available vaccine, cases of whooping cough in the United States and around the world have steadily increased since the 1980s, especially among infant and adolescent age groups. In recent years, 2012 had the highest number of cases since 1955. The number of cases have since decreased however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted a 15% increase in cases between 2013 and 2014 (“Pertussis Outbreak Trends”).
Smallpox is a disease from the variola virus. Smallpox has caused an estimated number of 300 million deaths in the 1900s alone. Smallpox is said to have been around since the ancient Egyptian times. The disease was eradicated in the late 20th century and two samples are still kept, one in U.S.A and one in Russia. Smallpox creates bumps and blisters all over the body and has been one of the most fatal epidemics the world has seen.
Resistance arises from mutations that are not under the control of humans, but the evolution of bacteria has been sped along by the overexposure of antibiotics to both people and animals. The number of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria in an area is closely related to the frequency that antibiotics that are prescribed (Todar, 2012). Patients often unnecessarily demand antibiotics to treat common colds or simple illnesses that are not caused by bacteria. Instead, these infections are caused by viruses which, unlike bacteria, are unaffected by antibiotics. Incorrect diagnosis can also lead patients to using unnecessary antibiotics, which can sometimes be even more dangerous than otherwise left untreated. Besides the fact that antibiotics kill off beneficial bacteria in the intestines, misuse of antibiotics provides an opportunity ...
Thus it is virulent, waiting for the host’s body to become weak enough to allow it to flourish.
Among hospitalized patients around the world, Clostridium difficile is the primary source of infectious diarrhea. Previously, continuously unbalanced intestinal microbiota, usually due to antimicrobials, was deemed a precondition of developing the infection. However, recently, there have been alterations in the biology from virtually infecting the elderly population exclusively, wherein the microbiota in their guts have been interrupted by antimicrobials, to currently infecting individuals within of all age groups displaying no recent antimicrobial use. Furthermore, recent reports have confirmed critical occurrences among groups previously assumed to be of minimal risk—pregnant women, children, and individuals with no previous exposure to antimicrobials, for instance. Unfortunately, this Gram-positive, toxin-producing anaerobic bacterium is estimated to cost US critical care facilities $800 million per year at present, suggesting the need for effective measures to eliminate this nosocomial infection (Yakob, Riley, Paterson, & Clements, 2013).
The influenza infection has a long history of having devastating effects on people worldwide but with the discovery and use of the influenza vaccine the fatally of the influenza infection decreased. The cause of the influenza infection is a virus. The virus enters the body via droplets coughed or sneezed and inhaled by a host (Bostock-Cox, 2013). Because the virus spreads via droplets it is very easily transmitted from person to person, which can lead to epidemics and even pandemics. In addition, the influenza virus is capable of mutating. The World Health Organization is responsible for tracking influenza virus changes and outbreaks around the world (Bostock-Cox, 2013). When referring to outbreaks in influenza infection the term epidemic is
The most likely cause of the symptoms presented by her is bacteria meningitis. Bacterial meningitis is diagnosed by taking a sample of the cerebrospinal fluid found in the subarachnoid space near the spinal cord (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) bathes the spinal cord, provides it with nutrients and protects it from injury. If a needle were used in this test, it must pass between the L3 and L4 or L4 and L5 vertebra, which is considered safer, preventing a direct damage to the spinal cord (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). To reach the cerebrospinal fluid, the needle passes through the skin, the epidermis layer, subcutaneous tissues and fat, before passing through the supraspinous ligament (which connects the apices of the spinous processes together), and then the interspinous ligament (ligament between two vertebras), ligamentum flavum, epidural and veins, dura, subdural space, arachnoid layer and subarachnoid space,