Pathogenic Diseases

Diseases caused by organisms in humans are known as pathogenic diseases. The word pathogen is derived from a Greek word that means 'giving rise to suffering'. Pathogenic diseases can be caused by a number of agents like bacteria, viruses, fungi, prinons, etc. All these pathogenic agents can lead to a variety of diseases and conditions. In this article we will concentrate on pathogenic diseases due to bacteria.

How do Pathogenic Bacteria Cause Diseases?
There are many beneficial bacteria to humans that live on and within the human body systems. These beneficial bacteria help our immune system keep away pathogenic bacteria. Many people therefore ask the question 'is a bacterial infection contagious'? Bacteria are contagious and there are many pathogenic bacteria diseases affecting humans all over the globe. When the immune system and the beneficial bacteria are affected in some way, pathogenic bacteria can attack the body and cause diseases. In such cases, it is known as opportunistic infection. Bacteria can cause food poisoning, tooth decay, anthrax, bacterial pneumonia and many cause cancer in humans.

Where Do Pathogenic Bacteria Come from?
There are four main sources of pathogenic bacteria from where the bacteria gain entry in to the body and cause infection. The main source of pathogenic bacteria is raw food such as meat, poultry, egg, dairy products, rice, etc. The other sources of pathogenic bacteria are pests and pets. Pests like cockroaches, rats, mice, etc. are carriers of bacteria. Pets that are infected with fleas and ticks also cause diseases in humans due to flea or tick bites. The third source of pathogenic bacteria are people. People can pass on infection by sharing food, utensils, clothes, even kissing and through infected body fluid and respiratory droplets. The last source of these infectious diseases is through soil. Soil is rich with pathogenic bacteria that can cause poisoning, infection and even gangrene. You can even find pathogenic diseases causing bacteria in stagnant water under the coolers, sewage and uncovered water tanks.

Pathogenesis of Disease
Pathogenesis of disease is the development of disease in the infected person. The initial appearance of the disease till its end stage is known as the pathogenesis of diseases. It is very important to identify the disease and treat it accordingly. The first step of the disease is the origin of the disease, the progressive changes occurring in the body and the action of the disease on the body as it develops a hold on the body. For example, when a child falls down while playing and develops a cut, the wound gets colonized with staphylococcus bacteria. The bacteria cause inflammation and as the bacteria grow, they lead to a full blown infection. This process of getting a wound till the development of infection is known as pathogenesis. The study of pathogenesis of disease is very important for medical professionals and scientists as it helps them understand the cause, the changes in the body, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Know more on staph infection(MSRA).

List of Pathogenic Diseases due to Pathogenic Bacteria
The following is a short list of pathogenic diseases due to pathogenic bacteria that infect human:

• Food poisoning - Eschericha Coli
• Strep throat - Streptococcus pyrogenes
• Tuberculosis - Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Legionnaire's disease - Legionella pneumoniae
• Cholera - Vibrio cholera
• Syphillis - Treponema pallidum
• Gonorrhea - Neisseria gonorrheae
• Anthrax - Bacillus anthracis
• Leprosy - Mycobacterium leprae
• Bubonic plague - Yersinia pestis
• Tetanus - Clostridium tetani
• Pneumonia - Streptococcus pneumoniae
• Influenza - Haemophilus influenzae
• Pneumonia - Klebsiella pneumoniae
• Septicimia - Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• Respiratory Tract Infections - Moraxella catarrhalis
• Pneumonia - Chlamydophila pneumoniae
• Walking Pneumonia - Mycoplasma pneumoniae
• Pneumonia - Legionella pneumophila
• Whooping Cough - Bordetella pertusis
• Lyme Disease - Borrelia burgdorferi
• Gas gangrene - Clostridium perfringens
• Tularemia - Francisella tularensis
• Leprosy – Mycobacterium leprae

This is a short list of pathogenic diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria. Pathogenic diseases can be prevented by maintaining a healthy diet that helps keep a healthy body and immune system. Frequent washing of hands and maintaining hygiene can also prevent pathogenic diseases. This was a little information on pathogenic diseases caused by bacteria. There are many bacteria that can be our friends, but there is no telling when the opportunistic bacteria strike and bring us down with a horrible infection.