13: Respiratory System Infections (Part B)
At one time, it was thought that antimicrobial drugs and preventive vaccines might hold respiratory infections in check in the developed world, but recent developments suggest otherwise. The rise of multiple-antibiotic resistance in organisms like Mycobacterium tuberculosis has rendered many of our modern drugs ineffective. In addition, there has been a recent resurgence in diseases like whooping cough and measles, once-common childhood illnesses made rare by effective vaccines. Despite advances in medicine and public health programs, it is likely that respiratory pathogens will remain formidable adversaries for the foreseeable future.
Chapter Outline
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- 13.1: Viral Infections of the Respiratory Tract
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) are two acute respiratory infections caused by coronaviruses. Measles and rubella (German measles) are two important viral diseases often associated with skin rashes. However, their symptoms are systemic, and because their portal of entry is the respiratory tract, they can be considered respiratory infections.