Glossary
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Need a definition? Please
T
Tetanus
An acute, often fatal infectious disease caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani. When the bacterium establishes an infection within the body, usually at the site of a contaminated wound, it produces a potent toxin, which spreads to the nervous system and causes severe muscle rigidity and painful spasms. A highly effective, protective vaccine is available.
Tetanus-diphtheria vaccine
Consists of diphtheria toxoid and tetanus toxoid to protect against the toxin-mediated effects of infection with the causative bacteria. In adults, the highly effective vaccine should be administered every ten years.
Therapy
"Therapy" refers to interventions that are applied solely to enhance the well being of an individual patient who is sick. The interventions are procedures commonly accepted by the medical community and represent the standard of care.
Toxicity
The capacity of a substance to poison, harm, or destroy living cells or organisms.
Tuberculosis
Infection, with or without disease, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Humans usually acquire infection by breathing in infectious droplets, which have been expelled from the respiratory tract of infected persons. Tuberculosis disease mainly affects and damages the lungs, but the bacterium may spread to any other organ system. The disease is slowly progressive and chronic if untreated and death may result. Treatment with antibiotics is available, but must be administered over many months to achieve remission.
Typhoid fever
An infectious illness usually spread by contamination of food, milk, or water supplies with the bacterium Salmonella typhi, either directly by sewage, indirectly by flies, or by faulty personal hygiene. Fever, abdominal pain, malaise, prostration, and diarrhea or constipation are common. Without antibiotics, about 15% of cases can be fatal. Treatment with antibiotics has reduced mortality to less than 1% in the US. Modern, highly effective vaccines are recommended for travel to endemic areas.
