Bacterial vs Viral Infections Quiz

Comparison of Bacterial and Viral Infections: Key Facts and Figures

Bacterial:

• Rickettsia are a group of Gram-negative bacteria found in ticks, lice, fleas, mites, chiggers, and mammals.
• They cause zoonotic infections that disseminate in the blood to many organs.
• Rickettsial pox, caused by R. akari, is transmitted by house mouse mites and mainly circulates in urban centers in various countries, including the US.
• The incubation period for rickettsial infections is 2-14 days, and the mode of transmission is through the bite of infected ticks or mites or by the feces of infected lice or fleas.
• Two types of vaccines against rickettsial infections have been developed and used in humans, whole killed bacteria and live attenuated rickettsiae.
• The signs and symptoms of rickettsial infections include high fever, chills, severe headache, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting, confusion or other neurological changes, and a distinctive rash.
• Diagnosis of rickettsial infections is often difficult, but laboratory tests can check a blood sample, rash specimen, or the tick itself for evidence of the organism that causes the infection.
• Treatment for Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a type of rickettsial infection, involves early antibiotic therapy with doxycycline or chloramphenicol.

Viral:

• HIV is a virus that damages the immune system and makes a person more vulnerable to other infections and diseases.
• HIV-1 is the most common type and the infectious agent that has led to the worldwide AIDS epidemic.
• The AIDS incubation period is the duration of time from initial infection with HIV to the development of symptoms of the disease, which can vary widely.
• HIV is spread mainly by having sex or sharing injection drug equipment, such as needles, with someone who has HIV.
• There is no vaccine for HIV.
• The signs and symptoms of acute HIV infection include fever, chills, rash, night sweats, muscle aches, sore throat, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and mouth ulcers.
• Diagnosis of HIV and AIDS involves primary tests such as the ELISA test and confirmation with the Western blot test.
• The main treatment for HIV is antiretroviral therapy, a combination of daily medications that stop the virus from reproducing and help protect CD4 cells to keep the immune system strong enough to fight off disease.