skin

• Leprosy


  An infectious disease that causes severe, disfiguring skin sores and nerve damage in the arms, legs, and skin areas around the body
• Leprosy has been around since ancient times, often surrounded by terrifying, negative stigmas and tales of leprosy patients being shunned as outcasts
• Causative agent


  Leprosy is caused by a slow-growing type of bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae)
• Leprosy


  Also known as Hansen's disease, after the scientist who discovered M. leprae in 1873
• Incubation period


  The bacteria are slow-growing; the incubation period for leprosy is about five years (two to 10 years), and it can take as long as about 20 years before symptoms and signs of leprosy develop in some patients
• Mode of transmission


  The infection spreads from person to person by nasal secretions or droplets. Leprosy rarely spreads from chimpanzees, mangabey monkeys, and nine-banded armadillos to humans by droplets or direct contact
• Vaccine


  At the moment there isn't a specific vaccine for leprosy. The BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccine against tuberculosis can offer some protection against leprosy
• Signs and symptoms


  • Appearance of skin lesions that are lighter than normal skin and remain for weeks or months
  • Patches of skin with decreased sensation, such as touch, pain, and heat
  • Muscle weakness
  • Numbness in the hands, feet, legs, and arms, known as "glove and stocking anesthesia"
  • Eye problems
  • Enlarged nerves, especially in the elbows or knees
  • Stuffy nose and nosebleeds
  • Curling of the fingers and thumb, caused by paralysis of small muscles in the hand
  • Ulcers on the soles of the feet
• Diagnosis


  • Skin smears or biopsy material that show acid-fast bacilli with the Ziel-Neelsen stain or the Fite stain can diagnose multibacillary leprosy. If bacteria are absent, paucibacillary leprosy can be diagnosed
  • Other less commonly used tests include blood exams, nasal smears, and nerve biopsies
• Treatment


  Two antibiotics (dapsone and rifampicin) treat paucibacillary leprosy, while multibacillary leprosy is treated with the same two plus a third antibiotic, clofazimine. The antibiotics are administered for at least six to 12 months or more to cure the disease
• Acne

  A skin condition that occurs when hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells, often causing whiteheads, blackheads or pimples, and usually appearing on the face, forehead, chest, upper back and shoulders
• Acne is most common among teenagers, though it affects people of all ages
• Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes)

  The bacteria that live on the skin and contribute to the infection of pimples
• The severity and frequency of acne depend on the strain of bacteria, and not all acne bacteria trigger pimples
• Incubation period


  Some studies recommend incubation periods of up to 21–28 days, but the clinical relevance and the risk of reinfection in those with late culture growth remain unknown
• Acne is not contagious
• There is no vaccine for acne
• Signs and symptoms of acne

  • Whiteheads (closed plugged pores)
  • Blackheads (open plugged pores)
  • Small red, tender bumps (papules)
  • Pimples (pustules), which are papules with pus at their tips
  • Large, solid, painful lumps beneath the surface of the skin (nodules)
• Diagnosis

  Acne is diagnosed by a simple visual inspection by a doctor, and rarely a doctor may take a swab or scraping of a lesion or pustule for microbiological examination or culture to rule out other sources of infection
• Treatment


  For moderate to severe acne, oral antibiotics such as tetracycline (minocycline or doxycycline) or macrolides may be used to reduce bacteria and fight inflammation, but should be used for the shortest time possible to prevent antibiotic resistance
• Anthrax


  A serious infectious disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis
• Anthrax


  • Can be found naturally in soil
  • Commonly affects domestic and wild animals around the world
• Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis
• Incubation period


  • Typically 1 day for cutaneous anthrax and 1–7 days for pulmonary anthrax
  • Evidence from mass exposures indicates that incubation periods up to 60 days are possible for pulmonary anthrax (related to the delayed activation of inhaled spores)
• Mode of transmission


  • No evidence that anthrax is transmitted from person to person, but it's possible that anthrax skin lesions may be contagious through direct contact
  • Anthrax bacteria enter the body through a wound in the skin
  • Can also become infected by eating contaminated meat or inhaling the spores
• Vaccine


  The only licensed anthrax vaccine, Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed (AVA) or BioThraxTM, is indicated for active immunization for the prevention of disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, in persons 18 – 65 years of age at high risk of exposure
• Signs and Symptoms


  • Flu-like symptoms, such as sore throat, mild fever, fatigue and muscle aches, which may last a few hours or days
  • Mild chest discomfort
  • Shortness of breath
  • Nausea
  • Coughing up blood
  • Painful swallowing
• Diagnosis


  • Skin testing
  • Blood tests
  • Chest X-ray or computerized tomography (CT) scan
  • Stool testing
  • Spinal tap (lumbar puncture)
• Treatment


  • A 60-day course of an antibiotic, such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro) or doxycycline (Monodox, Vibramycin, others)
  • Which single antibiotic or combination of antibiotics will be most effective depends on how you were infected with anthrax, your age, your overall health and other factors
  • Treatment is most effective when started as soon as possible
• Gas gangrene


  Also known as clostridial myonecrosis and myonecrosis, a bacterial infection that produces tissue gas in gangrene
• Gangrene is the death of body tissue
• The infection causes toxins to form in the tissues, cells, and blood vessels of the body
• These bacteria will release toxins that cause tissue death and release a gas
• Causative agent


  Clostridium perfringens bacteria
• Incubation period


  Usually less than 24 hours but has been described to be anywhere from 7 hours to 6 weeks
• Mode of transmission


  1. Can be spread through poor infection control practices, such as bacteria being passed from patient to patient via contaminated surgical instruments or gloves

  2. Not naturally transmitted from person to person, so no need for isolation
• Signs and symptoms


  • Fever
  • Air under the skin
  • Pain in the area around a wound
  • Swelling in the area around a wound
  • Pale skin that quickly turns gray, dark red, purple, or black
  • Blisters with foul-smelling discharge
  • Excessive sweating
  • Increased heart rate
• Diagnosis


  • Skin culture to test for the presence of Clostridium perfringens and other bacteria
  • Blood tests to check for an abnormally high white blood cell count
• Treatment


  1. High doses of antibiotics, typically penicillin and clindamycin

  2. Removal of all dead and infected tissue surgically

  3. Amputation for about one of five people with gas gangrene in a limb
• Folliculitis


  A common skin condition in which hair follicles become inflamed, usually caused by a bacterial or fungal infection