Ehrlichiosis iis a group of bacterial diseases that is spread through the bite of a tick. These diseases usually come from the "lone star tick," a type of tick that's more common in the eastern half of the United States (including Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Wisconsin and many other states). Many people don't realize they've had a tick bite. While symptoms vary from person to person, they usually start as early as 5 days but more often 12 days after the tick bite. They usually include flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, headache, fatigue and muscle aches. Some people also have diarrhea or a rash that looks like flat, red spots or small red dots on the skin. Serious complications are possible, but most people recover completely from the illness with antibiotic treatment.
Bacterial Infections
Bacterial infections like typhoid, strep throat and some sexually transmitted diseases are infections caused by different types of bacteria. These infections are often treated with doctor-prescribed antibiotics. Either viruses or bacteria can cause infections, so its important to get examined by a doctor to make sure youre prescribed the correct medication.
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RealAge answeredColorado tick fever is a virus that is spread through the bite of a tick. It usually comes from a tick called the "wood tick," which is most common in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States (including Colorado, Utah and Montana) and parts of Canada (Alberta and British Columbia). This disease is most common in the spring and summer months, and in mountain areas. Symptoms can vary from mild to life-threatening, and they usually start about 3 to 7 days after the tick bite. They usually include flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, headache, an overall feeling of illness and muscle aches. Some people also have nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, a sore throat, sensitivity to light, a fever that comes and goes or a rash of small, flat, red spots. Serious complications that affect the nervous system are rare, but possible. Because this is a virus, antibiotics cannot be used to treat it. Treatment involves managing the fever, pain and other symptoms. -
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RealAge answeredAn Elizabethkingia infection usually causes severe symptoms and makes people feel very sick. The symptoms depend on where in the body the infection is. It most often affects the bloodstream, causing fever, shaking and chills. It can cause redness and inflammation of the skin. If it’s in the respiratory tract, people may have shortness of breath. Elizabethkingia can cause meningitis, leading to symptoms like severe headaches, nausea, vomiting and a stiff neck.
Blood tests can make the diagnosis, but because the infection is so rare, the tests may have to be done at specialized labs.
Keep in mind, however, that healthy people rarely become sick from Elizabethkingia. Most cases happen in healthcare facilities and affect people who have weakened immune systems, such as newborns, the elderly, and those with serious health problems like cancer, kidney failure or diabetes. -
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RealAge answeredSee All 2 AnswersElizabethkingia is a type of bacteria that rarely makes people sick. When it does, it usually affects people with weakened immune systems. In the 2015-2016 outbreak occurring mostly in Wisconsin, most of the reported cases were in people over the age of 65, and all of them had serious underlying health issues, such as cancer or severe kidney disease. It isn’t clear how the people became sick. Smaller Elizabethkingia outbreaks sometimes occur in healthcare setting, such as hospitals or nursing homes, but early tests suggest that this outbreak isn’t linked to any specific facility, and the bacteria don’t seem to spread from person to person.
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Scripps Health answeredPneumococcal disease is a bacterial infection that can lead to serious and often deadly illnesses including pneumonia, meningitis and blood infections. Annually, pneumococcal meningitis and blood infections kill thousands of adults, and up to 175,000 people are hospitalized with pneumococcal pneumonia. People ages 65 and older have a higher risk of contracting pneumococcal disease and developing serious illness. -
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Penn Medicine answeredSee All 3 AnswersTreatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) consists of a combination of medications including proton pump inhibitors, histamine H2 blockers and antibiotics. These decrease and neutralize stomach acid and, most importantly, eradicate the bacteria. PREVPAC® and HELIDAC® are two pharmaceutical products that package these medications together. About 15 to 20 percent of patients still have H. pylori after the first treatment. This is due to a resistance of some H. pylori strains to certain antibiotics. In these cases, a different combination of antibiotics is necessary. -
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Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answeredPneumococcal infections cause as many as 70,000 deaths a year in the United States, primarily from pneumonia and blood infections. These diseases are extremely risky: 15 to 25 percent of those who have pneumococcal infections in their bloodstream die, and 5 to 20 percent of those who have the most common type of pneumonia, a lung pneumococcal disease, may die. -
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American Red Cross answeredIf the person becomes ill with any signs of ehrlichiosis, seek medical care. Ehrlichiosis is treated with antibiotics. -
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Peter DeLucia , Health Education, answeredSee All 2 AnswersTo prevent tick-borne disease, precautions you should take in heavily wooded areas include using repellants, wearing appropriate clothing, and doing thorough tick checks. Watch public health specialist Peter DeLucia, MPA, give some important tips.
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SecondsCount.org answeredRheumatic fever (also called rheumatic heart disease) is a condition in which the heart valves are damaged by substances (antibodies) that the body produces to fight streptococcal (strep) infection. Rheumatic heart disease affects only a small percentage of those infected with strep throat or other strep infections, and because of the availability of medicines to treat strep infections, rheumatic fever is no longer common in the United States.
Treatments for rheumatic heart disease include antibiotics (penicillin) to stop the strep infection. They also include taking preventive doses of antibiotics to stop future strep infections before they begin. If a child is diagnosed with rheumatic fever, he or she will need to take antibiotics (either by mouth every day or by shot once a month) until adulthood to prevent future infections. Children can become very sick with subsequent infections.
If rheumatic fever leads to cardiac abnormalities:
- Aspirin may be given.
- Steroids may be given.
- Medications for congestive heart failure may be prescribed. Congestive heart failure is when the heart cannot pump enough blood to the body.
If there is significant damage to the heart valve, surgical repair or replacement with a prosthetic (artificial) heart valve may be recommended. Some cases of narrowing of the mitral valve can be treated by stretching the valve with a balloon delivered using a catheter (balloon valvuloplasty).