HIV test

When studying an epidemic there is much more to it than the medical aspect; the social occurrence. Even after the disease and its ways of transmission were accurate identified, fear and ignorance remained widespread. In the mid- and even later 1980s, “AIDS hysteria” became a familiar term in the media and public life. Before the disease was officially called “AIDS”, in 1982, it went by “gay-related immune deficiency” (GRID). Homosexuality was no socially accepted in the 1980’s, making it…

Strongyloidiasis is an intestinal infection caused by two species of the parasitic nematode. The most common and clinically important pathogenic species in humans is stercoralis . Fuelleborni is found in Africa and Papua New Guinea. Distinctive characteristics of this parasite are its ability to persist and replicate within a host for decades while producing minimal or no symptoms (individuals with an intact immune system) and its potential to cause life-threatening infection (hyperinfection…

Hepatitis virus C (HCV) is an enveloped positive-strand RNA virus widely distributed in the world, once nearly 200 million people are contaminated with the pathogen. The HCV virus is responsible for developing a chronic infection in the patient, leading to different degrees of liver disease and it is also able to cause systemic syndromes, even causing damages in the central nervous system (CNS). Signals and symptoms include fatigue, tiredness, impaired memory (“brain fog”), and they can even…

Influenza is a very serious pathogen, causing widespread mortality across the world. The young, the elderly and those who have a comprised immune system are most at risk. Seasonal strains are common and can kill over 50,000 people a year1. Influenza can also produce pandemic strains which spread very quickly and can originate from animals such as birds or swine. An example of this is the 1918 influenza pandemic, strain H1N1 which was identified to have originated in birds and killed between…

The Ebola Virus Disease is an extremely brutal, and fast working virus that is most commonly found in Sub Saharan Africa.(WHO, 2016) Humans mainly contract ebola through infected fluids (such as blood, urine, and fecal matter) that come in contact with ruptured skin, or mucous membranes. Ebola has the ability to stay alive on most material that it comes in contact with, and can be contracted very easily if someone inadvertently…

In 1947, scientists discovered the Zika virus while collecting samples from monkeys in Uganda’s Zika Forest to track yellow fever. The following year, the virus was detected again in the Zika Forest; however, this time the virus was present in Aedes species mosquitoes. It wasn’t until 1952 that the first human cases were reported in the United Republic of Tanzania, highlighting how adaptable and transmittable the virus became. Since the viruses’ initial discovery, there have been spontaneous…

chemokine receptor which functions as a HIV co-receptor. Due to the deletion of CCR5, the ability of the virus to fuse with the host cells is impaired and those people can be exposed however they will not become infected. Another subgroup of Long Term Survivors are referred to as elite controllers. These individuals are infected with HIV however it does not progress to AIDS, this is due to the HLA-B57 allele they have which produces effective CTL against HIV peptides that are presented to…

There has been much discussion into whether or not viruses are alive. I personally feel that viruses are in fact not alive, and I will now explain why I feel this way. There are seven characteristics of life, and they include heredity, homeostasis, reproduction, cellular organization, response, metabolism, and growth and development. This list comprises what all living things must do in order to stay alive. While a virus may seem like they do some of these, all characteristics of life are…

Show you’re Tats Our skin is made up of three main parts. The dermis, epidermis, the subcutaneous layer. The skin forms a protective covering over the entire body. An example of this is the water proofing concept. This simply indicates that the keratin in the cells helps prevent fluid loss from the body. Many have argued whether or not tattoos are hazardous to your health. A tattoo is created by puncturing the dermis layer of the skin and injecting ink. Not all cases are the same, and as a…

A pathogen is the name given to a group of organisms which cause diseases within the human body and are able to do so because of their ability to invade the bodies environment. Pathogens cause damage to the tissues within the human body by replicating themselves at a fast rate in order to invade as many near by cells and give themselves a better chance of survival before the immune system starts to fight them off (Fullick, 1998, pp. 8–9). They are passed on from one person to another and that's…