Disease Causative Agents

Haemophilus influenzae causes epiglottitis in older children. In this disease, epiglottis is inflamed. It gets swollen to the extent that blockage of the trachea occurs and breathing is obstructed.

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis causes gastroenteritis.

Rickettsia prowazekii causes typhus fever. Its symptoms are chills, fever, headache, generalised aches, pains and exhaustion.

Legionnaires' disease is a severe bronchopneumonia. It is characterised by fever, chills and non-productive dry cough. The symptoms sometimes include chest pain, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and mental confusion.

Brucella suis occurs in swine and is transmitted to humans during the processing of meat of the infected swine.

Campylobacter jejuni is most often associated with gastroenteritis. This species produces exudative and hemorrhagic inflammation of the intestinal walls and leads to several cases of diarrhoea.

Botulinum (food poison) is caused by Clostridium botulinum. Syphilis is caused by Treponema pallidum.

Ehrlichiosis is an emerging bacterial disease in which obligate intracellular bacteria infect and kill white blood cells. It is caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia ewingii, Ehrlichia chaffeensis or Neorickettsia sennetsu.

Enterovirus 71 causes polio-like syndrome or permanent paralysis. This virus appears to have evolved only recently with the first known strain isolated in 1965.

Typhoid Mary was a chronic carrier and was presumed to have infected 51 people, three of whom died. She harboured the pathogen inside her body for a long time.

The causative organism for 1918-1919 pandemic was influenza virus. It took 20 million lives.

In little girls, vulvovaginitis is acquired through fomites. Bedclothes, towel and common bath tubs may spread the infection.

Campylobacter jejuni is recognised as one of the main causes of bacterial food-borne disease in many developed countries. This pathogen can be the underlying cause of secondary Guillain-Barré syndrome and periodontitis.

Leptospira causes leptospirosis. It may not be always water-borne. It causes a non-intestinal disease where bacteremia and kidney damage takes place.

Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, a comma-shaped Gram-negative bacterium. It produces cholera toxin that causes severe watery diarrhea and dehydration. Salmonella causes different types of food poisoning, and 'bacterioceoccurs' appears to be a garbled term.