Medical research

Newborn piglets serve as a model for studying influenza

Although prevention and treatment strategies are available for influenza, they are not sufficient for vulnerable populations such as young children and newborns. In a new study published in Virology, a multidisciplinary team ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Walking pneumonia: What you should know

Not all medical conditions have names that spell out their meaning, but "walking pneumonia" seems to be an exception.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Newborns diagnosed with syphilis at alarming rates

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that looks at sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has some concerning news, especially when it comes to syphilis. While cases of other STIs, like chlamydia ...

Immunology

Study in mice uncovers new protective benefit of breast milk

An immune component of breast milk known as the complement system shapes the gut environment of infant mice in ways that make them less susceptible to certain disease-causing bacteria, according to a study led by researchers ...

Medications

Penicillin allergy? Maybe not

Penicillin belongs to a group of antibiotics used by health care professionals to combat a wide array of bacterial infections, including strep throat, ear infections and pneumonia. Penicillin, one of the most widely prescribed ...

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Infection

An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. In an infection, the infecting organism seeks to utilize the host's resources to multiply, usually at the expense of the host. The infecting organism, or pathogen, interferes with the normal functioning of the host and can lead to chronic wounds, gangrene, loss of an infected limb, and even death. The host's response to infection is inflammation. Colloquially, a pathogen is usually considered a microscopic organism though the definition is broader, including parasites, fungi, viruses, prions, and viroids. A symbiosis between parasite and host, whereby the relationship is beneficial for the former but detrimental to the latter, is characterised as parasitism. The branch of medicine that focuses on infections and pathogens is infectious disease. "When infection attacks the body, anti-infective drugs can help turn the tide of battle. Four types of anti-infective drugs exist: antibacterial, antiviral, antitubercular, and antifungal. A secondary infection is an infection that occurs during or following treatment of another already existing primary infection.

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