by Kari A. Simonsen and Kingshuk Chatterjee Introduction Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by an encapsulated, spore-forming, gram-variable bacteria called Bacillus anthracis. This commonly presents with nonspecific prodromal symptoms such as fever, nausea, vomiting, and sweats which progress to dyspnea and ultimately respiratory failure and hemodynamic collapse. The bacteriaContinue Reading
Marburg virus (MARV), a highly pathogenic RNA virus that belongs to the Filoviridae family, is the cause of Marburg virus disease (MVD), a rare but severe hemorrhagic fever with a high case-fatality rate making it one of the most deadly pathogens. First discovered in an outbreak in 1967, the sourceContinue Reading
By Tayo Fasuan For many years, humans have battled viral diseases, and while sometimes it seems we are winning, the infectious agents change pathways and the original ways of perpetuating themselves and surprise us. From the Spanish Flu, to Poliomyelitis, to Smallpox, Human Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Bird Flu, Ebola and nowContinue Reading
Diagnosis has important implications for patient care, research, and policy. Diagnosis has been described as both a process and a classification scheme, or a “pre-existing set of categories agreed upon by the medical profession to designate a specific condition”. When a diagnosis is accurate and made in a timely manner, a patient has the best opportunity for a positive health outcome because clinical decision making will be tailored to a correct understanding of the patient’s health problem.Continue Reading
Autoimmunity plays a role in more than 80 diseases. Following are brief descriptions of some of the many diseases in which autoimmunity may be involved. Continue Reading