Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.
Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.
In countries where the disease is common,
patients with compatible clinical symptoms and findings can be presumed to have
leishmaniasis. Other patients require definitive diagnosis, which is done by
examining tissue under a microscope (Figure 5) to detect the parasite or through
a blood test to detect antibodies (see below). There is a skin test called the
Montenegro skin test, but it is imperfect and not used for diagnosis of disease.
Figure 5: Image of parasites inside a macrophage; arrows show
parasites. SOURCE: CDC/NCID/DPDx
In VL, tissue for microscopic examination may be obtained from the spleen,
liver, or bone marrow. Some patients with VL, especially those from Sudan, have
enlarged lymph nodes that can be biopsied. In cutaneous leishmaniasis or
mucocutaneous disease, biopsies or scrapings are taken from the affected area.
Special stains are used on biopsies, some of which employ polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) methods. The tissue can also be cultured on special media, which
allows the parasite to multiply and be detected more easily under the
microscope. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) should be contacted to obtain advice and the appropriate media.
Antibodies in the blood can be detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent
assays (ELISA). Antibody assays are usually positive in VL but are variably
positive in CL and ML because these conditions do not stimulate reliably and
consistently elevated antibody titers in the blood.
The word "rash" means an outbreak of red bumps on the body. The way people use this term, "a rash" can refer to many different skin conditions. The most common of these are scaly patches of skin and red, itchy bumps or patches all over the place.
There are many symptoms involved in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy. The first early pregnancy symptom is typically a missed period, but others include breast swelling and tenderness, nausea and sometimes vomiting, fatigue and bloating. Second trimester symptoms include backache, weight gain, itching, and possible stretch marks. Third trimester symptoms are additional weight gain, heartburn, hemorrhoids, swelling of the ankles, fingers, and face, breast tenderness, and trouble sleeping. Read more to learn about recommended procedures and tests for each stage of a healthy pregnancy.
Anemia is the condition of having less than the normal number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. The oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood is, therefore, decreased.
Lymph nodes help the body's immune system fight infections. Causes of swollen lymph nodes (glands) may include infection (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasites). Symptoms of swollen lymph nodes vary greatly. They can sometimes be tender, painful or disfiguring. The treatment of swollen lymph nodes depends upon the cause.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the cause of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). HIV is a type of virus called a retrovirus, which infects humans when it comes in contact with a break in the skin or tissues such as those that line the vagina, anal area, mouth, or eyes.
Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is part of the body's own disease-fighting arsenal: rising body temperatures apparently are capable of killing off many disease- producing organisms.
Drug addiction is a chronic disease that causes drug-seeking behavior and drug use despite negative consequences to the user and those around him. Though the initial decision to use drugs is voluntary, changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person's self-control and ability to make the right decisions and increase the urge to take drugs. Drug abuse and addiction are preventable.
Scar formation is a natural part of the healing process after injury. The depth and size of the wound incision and the location of the injury impact the scar's characteristics, but your age, heredity and even sex or ethnicity will affect how your skin reacts.
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