Human beings wherever they dwell are surrounded by sea of pathogens. These pathogens can be in the form of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and several other microbes. They inhabit in every nook and corner of the environment. They form colonies on skin, intestine, gastrointestinal tract and the respiratory tract. They are present in soil, water and air.
Many of these pathogens live without causing any harm to the body, while there are others that invade our body producing disease. These disease causing pathogens proliferate in the body especially when the immune system becomes weak.
Signs And Symptoms Of Pathogenic Diseases
Pathogenic disease is categorized into bacterial, viral disease, fungal, and parasitic diseases. As the organisms are different, they produce different set of symptoms.
Symptoms of bacterial disease:
There are several types of harmful bacteria that reside in environment. Pathogenic bacteria can cause harm in each and every organ of the body. They can penetrate through skin, nose, genitourinary tract, mouth and nose and other orifices of the body. Bacteria can be streptococcus, staphylococcus, shigella, salmonella, campylobacter, etc.
- Typhoid symptoms: High fever, pain in abdomen, fatigue, loss of appetite, headache, dry tongue etc.
- Cholera symptoms: Rice water diarrhea, severe diarrhea with vomiting, slow pulse, cold and clammy skin, dry tongue, severe dehydration, low blood pressure etc.
- Tuberculosis symptoms: Mild fever especially at night and evening hours, loss of weight, persistent cough, weakness, occasional blood in sputum, chest pain etc.
- Gonorrhea symptoms: Burning in urine, painful urination, yellow discharge of pus, sterility or infertility, fever etc.
- Pneumonia symptoms: Yellow or green sputum, pain in chest while coughing, high fever, rapid pulse, excessive perspiration,
Symptoms of viral disease:
Viruses are extremely tiny organisms. They enter into the body through water, air and food. Most viral diseases are caused when the immune system in compromised. Some of the common viral diseases are chickenpox, influenza, HIV infection, mumps, viral diarrhea, etc.
Symptoms of virus disease may vary according to the strain of virus.
- Virus causing respiratory illness produces running nose, fever, throat pain, sneezing, itching and burning in nose and eyes etc.
- The viral gastrointestinal symptoms consist of diarrhea, vomiting, pain in abdomen, fever, loss of appetite, muscle pain, etc.
- Symptoms of measles: High fever, rash on body, loss of appetite, itching all over skin, tiredness, throat pain, cough etc.
Symptoms of fungal infection:
Fungus infection is most common on skin surface. However, it can also affect internal organs especially yeast infection in females. Itching, watery or gelatinous discharge, skin damage, eruption on skin, skin thickening etc are some of its symptoms.
Treatment And Control Of Pathogenic Diseases
Treatment of pathogenic disease is based on causative organism that produces a disease. In case of bacterial infection, antibacterial drugs are effective in attacking the target organism, namely the bacteria. The medicines are administered orally or intravenously. Certain infections need high concentration of antibiotics to kill the germs. In such cases intravenous use is found effective.
Most virus disease takes some time for the symptoms to disappear. In many cases medicine is not required. The condition subsides on its own. However, in certain cases such as herpes infection antiviral drugs help to reduce the intensity and days of infection.
Anti-fungal medication is the treatment choice if the patient is suffering from fungus infection. Anti-fungal drugs are in the form of powder, ointment or tablets.