🦠 Go-To Guide For Infections 🦠

Olivia Dahan
Mar 9, 2021
2 min read

In this week's post, we will focus on different types of infections along with their treatments.

An infection occurs when a microorganism enter's a human body and causes harm.

The microorganism uses that person’s body to sustain itself, reproduce, and colonize. These infectious microscopic organisms AKA pathogens (i.e. bacteria, viruses, fungi) can multiply quickly.

First and foremost, let's state some of the different types of infections that could occur:

1. Viral Infections

As you can guess by their name viral infections occur due to infection with a virus. It is important to note that viruses contain a small piece of genetic code, and a coat of protein and lipid molecules protects them.

So how does it work?

Viruses invade a host and bind to a cell. They release their genetic material as they enter the cell. This material forces the cell to replicate the virus, and the virus will multiply. When the cell dies, it releases new viruses that infect new cells.

*** Note: Not all viruses destroy their host cell, however. Some of them change the function of the cell.

Few Facts

- A virus can target certain age groups, such as infants or young children.

-Viruses may remain dormant for a period before multiplying again.

Examples of Fungal Infections

the common cold
meningitis
warts and skin infections
COVID-19

How to treat these viruses?

-Antibiotics will not really work for viral infections.

-Antiviral medications can help relieve the symptoms of some viruses while the disease passes. They can either prevent the virus from reproducing or boost the host’s immune system to counter the effects of the virus.

-Vaccines can help prevent you from getting many viral diseases.

2. Bacterial Infections

Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms, also known as prokaryotes.

Facts

-Bacteria can live in almost any type of environment.

-There are trillions of strains of bacteria.

-Some bacterias live inside the human body, such as in the gut or airways, without causing harm.

-Some “good” bacteria attack “bad” bacteria and prevent them from causing sickness. ----Some bacterial diseases can be deadly.

Examples of Bacterial Infections

pneumonia
tuberculosis
food poisoning
eye infections
ear infections
sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

How to Treat Them?

A doctor can treat bacterial infections with antibiotics. However, some strains become resistant and can survive the treatment.

3. Fungal Infections

A fungus is often a multicellular parasite that can decompose and absorb organic matter using an enzyme.

Examples of fungal infections

candidiasis
athlete’s foot
ringworm
some eye infections

How to Treat Them?

Fungal infections are usually treated with antifungal drugs, usually with antifungal drugs that are applied directly to the affected area (called topical drugs). Topical medicines may include creams, gels, lotions, solutions or shampoos. Antifungal drugs can also be taken by mouth.