Infection

Overview

When the body tissues of an individual are invaded by disease-producing agents, infection is said to be present in him or her. When an individual suffers from an infection, his or her tissues are attacked by infectious agents that multiply in the tissues and release toxins.

Infection Symptoms

The common symptoms of infection in the body are as follows:

• Chills and fever
• The low temperature of the body
• Urinating less
• Rapid Breathing
• Vomiting and nausea
• Diarrhea

Infection Causes

There are various types of infections and the cause of an infection depends on the type of infection that has developed in the body.

• Viral Infections: Approximately 5000 types of viruses exist. Viruses destroy or alter the functions if a cell and contribute to the development of viral infections such as common cold, meningitis, encephalitis etc.
• Bacterial Infections: Bacteria can survive extreme cold and heat conditions and can cause bacterial infections such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, pneumonia, typhoid etc.
• Fungal Infections: A fungus is a multi-cellular parasite which can decompose as well as absorb the organic matter with the help of enzymes. The fungus is responsible for several infections such as athlete’s foot, ringworm etc.
• Other Infections: The single-celled protozoa are responsible for protozoan infections such as amoebic dysentery. Mad cow disease is caused by ‘prion’, which is a protein without any genetic material.

Diabetes and Infection

People suffering from diabetes have a raised level of blood sugar that increases the risk of developing infections. High levels of blood sugar delay the process of healing and make the infections resistant to any kind of treatment.

Diagnosis of Infection

You can get in touch with an infection specialist at mfine who would try to find out the exact microorganism responsible for an infection before administering treatment. There are various laboratory tests that help in confirming whether an infection is caused due to fungus, virus or bacteria.  The common laboratory tests are carrying out the culture of the urine, sputum or blood of the patients. Diagnosis is confirmed by staining a sample of urine, sputum or blood of the patient and examining under the microscope.

Understanding Infection

Infection is caused by disease-producing agents, the multiplication of the agents and the reaction of the ‘host tissues’ to the ‘infections agents’ along with the toxins released by them. The infectious agents include prions, viruses, bacteria, arthropods, pinworms etc.

Infection Treatment

You can get in touch with eminent general physicians at mfine. They would suggest treatment of the various infections based on the type of microorganisms causing it. They would use antibiotics for treating bacterial infections like pneumonia; antivirals for treating viral infections such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Influenza etc.; antifungals for treating fungal infections such as ringworms.

Get in touch with the infection doctors near me for the best treatment.