Infectious Diseases (Print Version)

Also called: Also called: Communicable diseases

Infectious diseases kill more people worldwide than any other single cause. Infectious diseases are caused by germs. Germs are tiny living things that are found everywhere - in air, soil and water. You can get infected by touching, eating, drinking or breathing something that contains a germ. Germs can also spread through animal and insect bites, kissing and sexual contact. Vaccines, proper hand washing and medicines can help prevent infections.

There are four main kinds of germs:

Bacteria - one-celled germs that multiply quickly and may release chemicals which can make you sick
Viruses - capsules that contain genetic material, and use your own cells to multiply
Fungi - primitive vegetables, like mushrooms or mildew
Protozoa - one-celled animals that use other living things for food and a place to live

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Start Here

Understanding Microbes: In Sickness and Health(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - Large PDF file - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/microbes/PDF/microbesbook.htm

Overviews

Biology of Infectious Diseases(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec17/ch188/ch188a.html
Germs: Understand and Protect against Bacteria, Viruses and Infection(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/germs/ID00002/METHOD=print

Prevention/Screening

Infectious Diseases: How They Spread, How to Stop Them(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/infectious-disease/ID00004/METHOD=print
MedlinePlus: Germs and Hygiene(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/germsandhygiene.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/germsandhygiene.html

Specific Conditions

Infections That Pets Carry(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/pet_infections.html
Tips to Remember: Recurrent or Unusually Severe Infections(American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology) - http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/recurrentinfections.stm
Also available in Spanish http://www.aaaai.org/espanol/tips/infecciones_recurrentes.stm

Related Issues

Antibiotics: Use Them Wisely(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/antibiotics/FL00075/METHOD=print
Antimicrobial (Antibiotic) Resistance(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/AntimicrobialResistance/
Bacterial Infection vs. Viral Infection: What's the Difference?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/infectious-disease/AN00652/METHOD=print
Infections in People with Cancer(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_1_2X_Infections_in_People_with_Cancer.asp
Understand Quarantine and Isolation(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness/quarantine/
What's the Difference Between Infectious and Contagious?(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/expert/illnesses/contagious.html

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Antibiotic Resistance(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/term=%22antibiotic+resistance%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Communicable Diseases(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Communicable+Diseases%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Nosocomial (Hospital-Acquired) Infections(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=nosocomial+infections

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Posters for health. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18683289&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Host-directed drug targeting of factors hijacked by pathogens. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18648074&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Health risks in travelers to China: the GeoSentinel experience and... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18606756&tool=MedlinePlus
Infectious Diseases -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(communicable+diseases[majr:noexp]+NOT+communicable+disease+control[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Organizations

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/
Directors of Health Promotion and Education - http://www.dhpe.org/
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases - http://www.nfid.org/
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/

Statistics

FASTATS: Infectious Disease(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/infectis.htm

Children

Childhood Contagious Diseases(Logical Images) - http://www.visualdxhealth.com/diseaseGroups/childContagiousDiseases.htm
Infectious Diseases(Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) - http://www.chop.edu/consumer/your_child/condition_section_index.jsp?id=-9185
Repeated Infections in Children(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/common/ent/221.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/children/parents/common/ent/221.printerview.html

Seniors

Infectious Diseases(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging) - http://www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/chapters_ch_trial.asp?ch=44

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Antibiotics - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/antibiotics.html
Bacterial Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bacterialinfections.html
Fungal Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/fungalinfections.html
Immunization - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/immunization.html
Infection Control - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infectioncontrol.html
Parasitic Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/parasiticdiseases.html
Traveler's Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/travelershealth.html
Viral Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/viralinfections.html
Immune System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/immunesystem.html
Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Infectious Diseases is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www.niaid.nih.gov/