Cryptosporidium Parvum: Transmission and Infection
Cryptosporidium parvum is a protozoan intestinal parasite causing a short-term enteric illness in individuals with functioning immune systems, and can cause a potentially fatal infection in immunosuppressed individuals. Because of C. parvum’s resistance to many of the procedures used to process drinking water and food, and the parasite’s extremely high fecundity, the potential for a large scale outbreak is very high. In fact, C. parvum was responsible for an outbreak in Milwaukee in 1993 when an estimated 403,000 people became ill. This was the largest waterborne outbreak of disease in United States history. This paper will cover some aspects of C. parvum’s life cycle, human sickness
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The infective dose may be as little as one oocyst, and severe diarrhea can occur, causing the individual to pass up to 20 liters of fluid in one 24 hour period (Donnelly & Stentiford, 1997). This inevitably leads to death.
Transmission of the parasite can occur in several different ways. Direct transmission can occur by handling infected animal or human feces. One quarter of reported direct transmission infections occurred by direct contact with feces, while the rest were reported to have happened by person to person contact (Donnelly & Stentiford, 1997).
Person to person transmission can occur through poor hygiene habits or by handling human waste. Daycares and nursing homes are at a high risk for person to person transmission because of the high risk of handling infected feces. Family outbreaks are common, as are outbreaks among children at nurseries (Donnelly & Stentiford, 1997).
Indirect transmission by the water or foodborne route is one of the most common ways C. parvum is spread. Because of the oocyst’s resistance to chlorination, several outbreaks have been caused by waterborne transmission. In one study (Carpenter et al.), oocysts were removed from the feces of an experimentally infected calf, cleaned of fecal matter, and placed into different amounts of chlorinated water at different temperatures. Although this experiment had been performed before, this was
During the Revolutionary War, one of the main fears were not the enemies bullets, but fear of disease. One of the major viruses that people had to fear was smallpox. The continental army had more to fear than the British in the fact that British had been immunized, and the continental army had not. This was only the beginning of the problems from the smallpox epidemic that broke out in America.
The route of transmission of the disease is via infected droplets that spray into the air when people cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can then be inhaled by other people who are in close proximity to the person who is infected. Unfortunately, these droplets can remain active and contagious for several hours on a surface, such that when you touch it with your fingers and then touch your nose or mouth you can become infected. While most cases are easily diagnosed by simply looking at the patient, in the majority of cases it is preferable to have blood tests to confirm 100%. Typically the patient will have a rash that looks like small, bright Koplik’s spots on the inside
The infection is passed easily between people, usually as a result of unprotected sex, but it can also be transmitted from mother to baby during childbirth, although this is less common. Many people who have been infected are unaware of this, because up to three quarters of infected women do not display any symptoms at all. Being asymptomatic is less common in men, but seeking medical attention for potentially embarrassing problems is something that many are reluctant to do.
It is not known how the B hominis infection spreads. The number of people infected seems to increase in areas where sanitation and personal cleanliness
The disease was caused by rats and rat fleas but, also from human to human by breathing the same air. Scientists know that the bacillus travels from person to person, through
In the laboratory setting, the virus was found in respiratory droplets, feces, saliva, tears and urine (WHO/DCDSR, 2003). SARS is primarily spread through close, personal contact, such as kissing, hugging, eating or drinking, as well as being within 3 feet of a person who coughs or sneezes while infected and shedding the virus. These activities allow the respiratory droplets shed during these activities to come in contact with mucous membranes found in the eyes, nose and mouth (Kutsar, 2004). Other modes of transmission include aerosolizing procedures in hospital settings and contamination of surfaces in “healthcare facilities, households and other closed environments” (Kutsar, 2004, para. 12). There has been no confirmation of fecal-oral transmission or of transmission via water or food; however, over one-third of the earliest cases in China were among food handlers (Kutsar, 2004). Finally, there is a possibility of animal vector transmission, as discussed in regards to the Hong Kong’s Amoy Gardens (WHO/DCDSR, 2003).
Typhus can be spread through flea, ticks, mites, rats, cat flea, and lice. Luckily, it is not transmitted like a cold, or the flu. Endemic Typhus spreads through cat flea, rat flea, and rats. Epidemic Typhus is spread through lice, ticks, and body louse. Scrub Typhus is spread through mites, louse, fleas, ticks, and lice. It is likely to spread to you if you live in a crowded environment, if there has been Typhus outbreaks recently, or if you are traveling abroad. You can prevent Typhus by controlling rodents, having good hygiene, and avoiding places with Typhus exposure. You can also use tick/mite repellent. If you are in an area with past Typhus outbreaks, you can wear protective clothing to avoid
Poor hand hygiene - spread of germs from one patient to another or spread for hands to surfaces.
How the disease was transmitted was further looked on by Nelson (1995). According to the said author, the disease was transmitted primarily by fleas and rats. The stomachs of the fleas were infected with bacteria known Y. Pestis. Nelson held that “the bacteria would block the "throat" of infected fleas so that no blood could reach their stomachs, and they grew ravenous since they were starving to death” (1995, par. 14). The bacteria would then attempt to suck up blood from their victims, only to disgorge it back into their preys' bloodstreams (Nelson, 1995). Now, however, the victims' blood was mixed with Y. Pestis. Fleas infected rats in this fashion, and the rats spread the disease to other rats and fleas before dying (Nelson, 1995). Without rodent hosts, the fleas then migrated to the bodies of humans and infected them in the same fashion as they had the rats .
The parasite is passed from an infected individual to a uninfected individual during sex. In ladies, the most ordinarily tainted piece of the body is the lower genital tract (vulva, vagina, or urethra), and in men, the most common contaminated body part is within the penis (urethra). During sex, the parasite is normally transmitted from a penis to a vagina, or from a vagina to a penis, however it can likewise
This paper will discuss and identify cognitive-behavioral treatment options that is available for individual or group's needs in jail, prison, or community corrections. Also, discuss cognitive behavioral treatment as the individual or population moves from the correctional environment to the community. Yet, discuss the efficacy of the cognitive behavioral treatment options available.
The consequences that follow the use of any drug are unfavorable. Although many individuals may see drug addiction as a mere lifestyle choice, it is a problem that many individuals suffer from and inevitably a growing issue that leaves major social and economic impacts.
Coughing and sneezing can spread the viruses easily. Infected stool may be infectious, such as changing a diaper or children use hands to touch their stool before touching another objects and put in their mouths..
Spread occurs via oral, vaginal, and anal sexual contact through the routes of penis-vagina, penis-mouth, penis-anus, mouth-vagina, and mouth-anus. During childbirth, infants contract the infection in the birth canal resulting in bilateral conjunctivitis. Intimate contact is required to infect another person, therefore, the myth of contracting the disease by toilet seats is a myth.
Not only are humans threatened by viral and bacterial infections, there are various parasites that also invade the human body. Parasitic infections are common in underdeveloped countries and are a prominent threat in rural areas. Though parasitic infections are known to happen in well-developed countries such as the United States. Contaminated water supplies, contact with infected animals, and improperly stored and cooked food can lead to parasitic infections. Parasites like tapeworms, protozoa, flukes, and nematodes can infect humans, causing serious health issues. These parasites enter through various parts of the body, and then live and reproduce in certain organs. Though there are many points of entry into the human body, most parasites enter