List of Human Health and Diseases caused by Microbes – Virus diseases, bacterial diseases, parasitic diseases | Human diseases caused by microorganisms like viruses, bacteria, parasites, worms, and others | Human diseases important list | Human Health and Disease | Common diseases in Humans
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Human Health and Diseases by Microorganisms
nowadays, one of the most serious concerns for a nation is the increased number of cases of human diseases. major human diseases are caused by Microorganisms or microbes including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, some algae, viruses, viroids and also prions which are proteinaceous infectious agents.
In this post, we will cover an extensive list of human diseases caused by major types of microorganisms.
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List of Human Health and Diseases caused by Virus
| Name of disease | Caused by | Parts of the body affected | Method of spread | Type of Vaccination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Influenza | A myxovirus (RNA virus) | Respiratory passages: the epithelial lining of trachea and bronchi. | Droplet Infection | Killed virus |
| Common cold | Large variety of viruses, commonly rhino-virus (RNA Virus) | Respiratory passages | Droplet Infection | Intramuscular injection. |
| Smallpox | Variola virus (DNA virus) | Respiratory passages, then skin | Droplet Infection (Wounds in the skin) | Living attenuated virus applied by scratching the skin, no longer carried |
| Chickenpox | Varicella- zoster | Blistering Skin rash | Air-borne droplets | Living attenuated virus |
| Mumps | A paramyxovirus (RNA virus) | Respiratory passages, infection via blood, salivary glands, and testes in adult males | Droplet infection | Living attenuated virus |
| Measles | A paramyxovirus (RNA virus) | Respiratory passages, spreading to skin and intestines. | Droplet infection | Living attenuated virus |
| German measles (Rubella) | Rubella virus | Respiratory passages, lymph nodes in neck, eyes and skin. | Droplet infection | Living attenuated virus, more essential for girls because the disease causes complications in pregnancy. |
| Poliomyelitis (polio) | Poliovirus (RNA Virus) | Pharynx and intestines, then blood; occasionally motor neurons in the spinal cord, paralysis may occur. | Droplet infection or via human faces | Living attenuated virus given orally |
| Yellow fever | An arbovirus i.e arthropod-borne virus (RNA Virus) | The lining of blood vessels and liver | Vector- arthropods e.g ticks, mosquitoes | Living attenuated virus |
| AIDS | Retrovirus (RNA virus) | Skin Cancer | Sexual intercourse homo- and heterosexuals | Not available |
| Ebola haemorrhagic fever | Ebola Virus disease (EVD) | Fatal Illness in Humans, Fever | It is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. | No licensed Ebola vaccine is available |
| Zika disease | Zika Virus (mosquito-borne disease) | Causes mild illness in the people like dengue, yellow fever | Basically, Infection in pregnant women is linked to abnormally small heads in their babies. | No vaccine available |
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List of Human Health and Diseases Caused by bacteria
| Name of disease | Caused by | Parts of body affected | Method of spread | Type of vaccination or antibodies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | Corynebacterium diphtheria | The upper respiratory tract, mainly the throat also toxin affects the heart. | Droplet infection | Toxoid |
| Tuberculosis (TB) | Mycobacterium tuberculosis | Mainly lungs | Droplet infection, Drinking milk from infected cattle. | BCG living attenuated bacteria. Antibiotics e.g. streptomycin. |
| Whooping cough (Pertussis) | Bordetella pertussis | Upper respiratory tract, inducing violent coughing | Droplet infection | Killed bacteria |
| Gonorrhoea | Neisseria gonorrhoeae | Reproductive organs: mainly mucous membranes of the urinogenital tract. Newborn infants may acquire serious eye infections if they pass through an infected birth canal. | Contagion by sexual contact | Antibiotics, e.g. penicillin, streptomycin |
| Syphilis | Treponema pallidum | Reproductive organs, then eyes, bones, joints, central nervous system, heart and skin. | Contagion by sexual contact | Antibiotics. e.g. penicillin |
| Tetanus | Clostridium tetani | Blood. The toxin produced which affects motor nerves of the spinal cord and hence muscles, causing lockjaw and spreading to the muscles. | Wound infection | Toxoid |
| Cholera | Vibrio cholera | Alimentary canal: mainly small intestine. | Faecal contamination (a) food – or water-borne material contaminated with faeces from an infected person. (b) handling of contaminated Objects. (c) vector, e,g. flies moving from human faeces to food. | Killed bacteria: short-lived protection and not always effective Antibiotics e.g. tetracyclines, chloramphenicol. |
| Typhoid fever | Salmonella typhi | Alimentary canal, then spreading to lymph and blood, lungs, bone marrow, and spleen. | Same as cholera | Killed bacteria (TAB vaccine) |
| Bacterial dysentery | Shigella dysenteriae | Alimentary canal, mainly the ileum and colon | Same as cholera | No vaccine. |
| Bacterial food poisoning (gastroenteritis or salmonellosis) | Salmonella spp. | Alimentary canal | Mainly foodborne meat from infected animals from poultry and pigs. Also via faecal contamination as cholera | Antibiotic. e.g. tetracyclines. |
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List of Human Health and Diseases by Worms (helminth)
| Disease | The pathogen responsible and its habitat | Mode of transmission | Main symptoms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancylostomiasis or ‘Hook-worm disease’ | Ancylostoma duobenale, small intestine (jejunum) of man | Transmission from person to person, filariform larvae passed out in faeces, man picks up infection walking barefoot on faecally-contaminated soil. | Dermatitis; reddish, severe anaemia; duodenal ulcer, constipation. Patient pale, face puffy with swelling of lower eyelids. |
| Ascariasis | Ascaris Lumbricoides; small intestine (jejunum) of man | Transmission from person to person, ripe eggs passed out in faeces, infection affected by swallowing ripe Ascaris eggs with raw vegetables. | Larvae in lung cause pneumonia. May give rise to typhoid-like fever, causing protein and Vitamin A deficiencies resulting in protein-calorie malnutrition and night blindness respectively. Can cause appendicitis, and jaundice. |
| Enterobiasis or ‘Pinworm disease’ | Enterobius vermicularis, caecum and vermiform appendix | Transmission from one person to another by ingestion of eggs in contaminated food or drink. | Eczematous condition around the anus, bed wetting at night, inflammation of the vermiform appendix. |
| Filariasis | Wuchereria bancrofti, lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes. | Part of the life cycle in mosquitoes in which larvae develop and become infectious to man, with mosquito bite larvae deposited on skin which enter through puncture wound and reach lymphatic channels | Elephantiasis i.e. enormous enlargement of certain parts such as that of leg, scrotum, penis, labia, clitoris, breast, and forearm. |
List of Human Health and Diseases caused by Fungus
| Disease | Pathogen responsible | Mode of transmission | Main symptoms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ringworm (tinea) | Microsporum, Trichophyton | Direct contact from unbathed cats and dogs or objects handled by infected individuals | Contain one or more blistered areas on the skin and scalp. Cause partial and temporary baldness in children. |
| Athlete’s foot | Trichophyton | Bad foot hygiene where skin remains warm and moist for long periods. | Painful itching or burning sensation in the infected areas. Crack appears in the skin, mass of loose dead skin clings between toes. |
| Madura foot | Maurella Mycetomi | Fungi gain entry through some minor injury to the skin. | Produce a chronic, granulating infection of the lower extremities, affected part becomes enlarged and develops many deep sores, extensive bone destruction leading to crippling deformities. |
| Dhobie itch | Several Different Fungi | Direct contact through Objects handled by infected person. | A type of ringworm infection usually located in the groin and inner surfaces of thighs, red rash which itches intensely. |
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Frequently Asked Questions on Human Health and Diseases
Which disease usually spreads through milk?
There are two forms of tuberculosis that cause significant diseases in mammals. Human tuberculosis, a sometimes acute, but much more commonly, chronic lung infection is caused by the bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Bovine tuberculosis is a very similar disease that infects cattle, as well as deer, goats, elk and many other animals. This infection is caused by a related bacterium, Mycobacterium Bovis, Human infection with the bovine form of the bacteria is transmitted through milk.
Are insects responsible for transmitting diseases called __?
Vectors
A vector-borne disease is one in which the pathogenic microorganism is transmitted from an infected individual to another individual by an arthropod or other agent, sometimes with other animals serving as intermediary hosts. The transmission depends upon the attributes and requirements of at least three different living organisms: the pathologic agent, either a virus, protozoa, bacteria, or helminth (worm).
The Vector which commonly arthropods such as ticks or mosquitoes; and the human host. In addition, intermediary hosts such as domesticated and/or wild animals often serve as a reservoir for the pathogen until susceptible human populations are exposed. Nearly half of the world’s population is infected by Vector-borne diseases.
Diseases-related study is called
Diseases-related study is called ‘Toxicology’.