Diarrheagenic Escherichia Coli James P. Nataro Larry K. Pickering Escherichia coli is the predominant aerobic gram-negative organism of the human intestine. Whereas most E. coli isolates are harmless intestinal commensals,…
Diphtheria Julia A. McMillan Ralph Feigin Corynebacterium diphtheriae may infect the skin or the respiratory tract. Acute disease results when the infecting strain elaborates an extracellular protein toxin and the…
Cat-Scratch Disease Kenneth M. Boyer Cat-scratch disease is a subacute, regional lymphadenitis syndrome that occurs after cutaneous inoculation. Contact with cats, in the form of a scratch by claws or…
Campylobacter and Helicobacter Larry K. Pickering Benjamin D. Gold Guillermo M. Ruiz-Palacios Campylobacter and Helicobacter are among the most common bacterial pathogens that infect humans. The genus Helicobacter was distinguished…
Lyme Disease Barbara W. Stechenberg Lyme disease, recognized in 1975, was first brought to medical attention by two women from Lyme, Connecticut, who were concerned about an illness spreading in…
Relapsing Fever Barbara W. Stechenberg Relapsing fever is a vector-borne, spirochetal infection characterized by recurring febrile episodes of a remitting nature. It is caused by several species of Borrelia. Borrelia…
Bartonellosis Barbara W. Stechenberg Bartonellosis is caused by Bartonella bacilliformis, which produces two illnesses that are distinctive clinically and temporally: Oroya fever, a disease characterized by severe, febrile, hemolytic anemia,…
Anaerobic Infections Itzhak Brook Lisa M. Dunkle Diseases caused by anaerobic bacteria or intoxication have been known since the time of Hippocrates, when tetanus first was described. The existence of…
Nocardiosis Jeffrey R. Starke Nocardiosis is a localized or disseminated infection caused by an aerobic actinomycete. It was described first in humans in 1890, 2 years after an aerobic actinomycete…
Actinomycosis Jeffrey R. Starke Actinomycosis, a rare infection in children, is marked by chronic granulomatous or suppurative inflammation and formation of external sinus tracts. Another hallmark of this infection is…
