Communicable Diseases Practise Flashcards

Collection of vocabulary terms and definitions regarding high-impact communicable diseases, their agents, vectors, clinical signs, and preventive measures based on the lecture transcripts.

Edward Jenner

The scientist who discovered the Smallpox vaccine in 1796.

Variola virus

The double-stranded DNA virus from the Poxviridae family that serves as the agent for Smallpox.

Pleomorphism

A clinical feature where different stages of a rash (maculopapular, vesicles, pustules, scabs) are seen at the same time.

Varicella zoster virus (VZV)

Also known as Human herpes virus 3, it is the causative agent of chickenpox and survives $24-48$ hours outside the body.

Secondary attack rate (SAR)

The number of secondary cases that arise from a primary case; for chickenpox, this value is $85\%-90\%.$

Congenital varicella syndrome

A condition occurring in $0.4-2\%$ of pregnancies where the mother is infected in the first 20 weeks, potentially leading to cutaneous scars, limb atrophy, and microcephaly.

Koplik spots

Small whitish spots on the buccal mucosa seen $2-3$ days before a measles rash; they are pathognomonic and located near the $1^{\text{st}}$ and lower molars.

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE)

A rare but serious late complication of measles involving progressive brain inflammation.

Vitamin A Prophylaxis

A treatment strategy for measles where a dose of $200,000\,IU$ is given to children aged $1-6$ years to prevent complications.

Orchitis

The most common complication of mumps infection, involving inflammation of the testes.

Gregg's Triad

The clinical triad associated with Congenital Rubella Syndrome consisting of Cataract (ophthalmic), SNHL (auditory), and PDA (cardiac).

Iceberg phenomenon

An epidemiological concept where only a small portion of disease cases are visible (clinical), while a large portion remains hidden (subclinical); measles, tetanus, and rabies do not show this.

Schick test

Note: The transcript mentions the 'Shake test' for freeze-sensitive vaccines like DPT, though historically Schick is for diphtheria susceptibility.

Diphtheria antitoxin (DAT)

The specific treatment for diphtheria given in doses of $20,000$ to $1,00,000\,IU$ after a skin sensitivity test.

Waterhouse Friderichsen syndrome

A severe complication of meningococcemia characterized by hemorrhagic adrenalitis, shock, and Addisonian crisis.

John Snow

Known as the 'Father of public health' for his 1854 experiment on cholera.

Rice water diarrhea

A characteristic symptom of cholera involving painless, loose, watery stools occurring up to $40-45$ times per day.

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan media

A specific transport medium used for stool or vomitus samples suspected of containing Vibrio cholerae.

Rose spots

Reddish rashes on the abdomen, trunk, or chest area that appear during the second week of typhoid fever.

Widal test

A non-specific serological test used to diagnose typhoid by checking for O and H antigens, though it has high false negativity rates.

Step ladder pattern

The characteristic fever progression seen during the first week of typhoid illness.

HbsAg

Hepatitis B Surface Antigen; if present for more than 6 months, the individual is considered a major source of infection as a chronic carrier.

Ascaris lumbricoides

The most common soil-transmitted helminthic infection in India, where the female worm can lay $2,00,000$ eggs per day.

Chandler's Index

A public health metric based on eggs per gram of stool; a value greater than $300$ signifies a severe public health problem for hookworm.

Lyssavirus

The genus of the bullet-shaped virus in the Rhabdoviridae family that causes rabies.

Modified Thai Red Cross Regime

A post-exposure rabies prophylaxis schedule involving $0.1\,ml$ intradermal doses (2 doses per visit) on days 0, 3, 7, and 28.

Xenopsylla cheopis

The rat flea that acts as the primary vector for plague transmission via propagative transmission.

17-D strain

The specific live attenuated vaccine strain used for yellow fever immunization.

Opisthotonus

A characteristic posture of extreme muscle contraction and arching of the back caused by Tetanospasmin in Tetanus.

Eschar

A pathognomonic black spot or scab found near the site of a mite bite in cases of Scrub typhus.

Weil's disease

Another name for Leptospirosis, characterized by symptoms like conjunctival suffusion (redness of palpebral conjunctiva).

Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT)

The screening test/Investigation of Choice (IOC) for Leptospirosis.

ZEBOV

The viral vector vaccine used to build immunity against Ebola, with an efficacy of approximately $50-60\%.$

Congenital zika syndrome

A condition resulting from vertical transmission of Zika virus, leading to microcephaly, limb atrophy, and visual loss.

Pteropus

The genus of large fruit bats that serves as the natural reservoir for the Nipah virus.