Virus Diseases
Signs and Symptoms of Dengue Fever
Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) (medical language is called dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF)) is a disease caused by dengue virus is transmitted through the bite of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, which causes disturbances in capillary blood vessels and blood clotting system, thus resulting in bleeding-bleeding. The disease is commonly found in tropical region such as Southeast Asia, India, Brazil, United States, including in all corners of Indonesia, except in places a height of more than 1000 meters above sea level. Physicians and other health professionals such as midwives, enforcement is often wrong in the diagnosis, because the tendency of early symptoms that resemble other illnesses such as flu and Type (typhoid).
Signs and Symptoms of Dengue Fever
The period of shoot / incubation for 3-15 days after someone attacked by dengue virus, then the patient will reveal a variety of signs and symptoms of dengue fever as follows:
1. Of sudden high fever 2-7 days (38-40 degree Celsius).
2. On examination torniquet test, looked the larva (puspura) bleeding.
Three. The presence of dikelopak bleeding inside the eye (conjunctiva), Nosebleed (Epitaksis), * Dispose of the dirt (Peaces) in the form of mucus mixed with blood (melena), and others. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Aedes aegypti, blood clotting system, blood vessels, Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, dengue virus, illnesses | 
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Introduction to AIDS
AIDS is a disease of most concern to the global society today. This is mainly because very little is known about methods to control the virus, besides that the evil is spreading throughout the world at an alarming rate.
Every 10 minutes someone is infected by this disease. For this reason it is extremely important to know more about what HIV/AIDS, how it spreads and how they can prevent.
Syndrome = set of signs and symptoms.
Immune Deficiency = significant depletion of the immune system.
Acquired = due to a virus contracted by the patient during his lifetime. The disease is not hereditary.
When HIV enters the bloodstream, it attaches to the cell, and transcribes viral RNA into DNA, which enters the cell nucleus to form part of the cell’s genetic code.
When this happens, the virus is slowly destroying T4 cells, but the immune system is strong and can go even regenerating cells destroyed, at this stage the symptoms are not presented in person. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Immune System, Virus Diseases | Tags: AIDS, HIV infection, Introduction to AIDS, main symptoms, what is AIDS? | 3 Comments »
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Causative agent of AIDS.
HIV belongs to the family of retroviruses. Normally the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) sends messages to the RNA (ribonucleic acid), but in the case of a retrovirus, RNA is converted into DNA.
There are two sub-types of HIV: type 1 (HIV-1) and type 2 (HIV-2). Type 2 is found mostly in West Africa.
HIV is a lentivirus, which means it stays a long time dormant.
HIV destroys the immune cells (CD4) and various infections and cancers that can enter the human body without defense. These diseases are called opportunistic. Read the rest of this entry »
Diagnosis of Epstein-Barr Virus Infection (IV)
Recently ELISA methods are applied to the diagnosis of EBV infection. The methods using cellular extracts from cells transformed by the virus do not apply to this virus since they are highly nonspecific.
Alternatively we have used both purified proteins, synthetic peptides and recombinant proteins. GP125 has been used purified from P3HR1 line with which it has obtained 95% sensitivity and specificity of 100%.
In regard to the use of synthetic peptides, was applied to p62, whose sequence corresponds to a region of EBNA1, to develop a test to differentiate IgM and IgG responses.
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Diagnosis of Epstein-Barr Virus Infection (III)
The IFAC method for anti-EBNA is applied to heat-inactivated samples (56 º C, 30 min). A critical aspect in the determination of antibodies to EBNA is that the wells should not be dry between incubations, as you can get false negative results.
With these techniques in the course of primary infection occurring anti-VCA responses, both IgM and IgG isotype, in a virtually simultaneous. In most cases reach the peak in the time symptoms appear, or a few days later, so in most cases it is possible to detect IgG seroconversion. Between 2 and 3 months after onset of illness, the IgM response falls to undetectable levels, while IgG remains at good levels throughout the life of the individual. Read the rest of this entry »
Diagnosis of Epstein-Barr Virus Infection (II)
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EBV has a complex antigen. Are three classes of antigenic systems: the latent phase antigens, antigens early replicative and late antigens. Not all are important for diagnosis. Among the former, there are the EBV nuclear antigens (EBNA1 and 2). Despite being the first to receive the antibody response to EBNA-1, which occurs in all infected individuals, is a late marker of infection. Among the early antigens (EA) and depending on your location there are two types: diffuse (EA-D in the nucleus and cytoplasm) and restricted (EA-R, only in cytoplasm).
The response of anti-EA is not universal and indicates that the cell has entered a lytic cycle and producer. Finally, among the late ones, the antigen of the virus capsid (VCA) is expressed equally abundantly in the lytic and productive infection, and induces a response of the IgM isotype in the primary disease that lasts 2-3 months, and IgG isotype , which remains detectable for life. Read the rest of this entry »
Diagnosis of Epstein-Barr Virus Infection (I)
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In general, the best procedure for laboratory diagnosis of viral infections is isolation of the virus or any of its components or products. While acknowledging cell types naturally susceptible to infection by EBV in vitro is reduced to B cells, which are processed in a technologically complex and slow process, so that isolation is an imp procedure for most laboratories diagnostics.
The identification of either virus antigens has proved an adequate approximation. Finally, the detection of HBV DNA by the chain reaction of polymerase has shown a good performance comparative serological studies for the diagnosis of mononucleosis in the acute phase. Read the rest of this entry »
Clinical Syndromes of Epstein-Barr Virus Infection
Infectious mononucleosis is the most typical clinical form of primary infection by EBV. As with the other HV infection in children is much milder than that occurring in adolescents or adults.
The incubation period of about a month. After a prodromal period, characterized by chills, sweating, fever and malaise, the disease occurs, which in its most typical form includes the triad of sore throat, fever and lymphadenopathy.
They also appear frequently hepatosplenomegaly and rash. Most cases remits spontaneously within 3 to 4 weeks, although fatigue can last a little longer.
There are some important neurological complications (meningoencephalitis and Guillain Barre syndrome), laryngeal obstruction or rupture of the spleen. In most cases the recovery is complete by symptomatic treatment. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Virus Diseases | Tags: Clinical Syndromes of Epstein-Barr Virus Infection, Epstein-Barr Virus, Epstein-Barr Virus Infection | Comments Closed
Viral Pathogenesis and Persistence of Epstein-Barr Virus (II)
Immunocompetent individuals remain EBV in B lymphocytes as a latent chronic infection which helps them survive and spread to new host cells. This long coexistence is possible because the virus develops different mechanisms to evade the immune system. During the acute phase the virus expresses gene products of about 90 while in the latent phase antigens are expressed only EBNA and LPM2 (EBNA 1,2,3 A, 3B, 3C and the LPM associated with cell transformation 2b Ay 1.2 ).
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EBNA1 is required for that automantenga DNA in lymphocytes that are activated and allows the virus to remain LPM2 limiting latent gene expression in the membrane. This minimal expression of the repertoire of viral proteins allows the virus to minimize the number of targets for the immune system. Read the rest of this entry »
Viral Pathogenesis and Persistence of Epstein-Barr Virus (I)
When infection occurs cell begins production of viral proteins. These proteins include early antigen (EA), the capsid (VCA) and membrane glycoproteins (MA).
photo source: http://digitalunion.osu.edu/
Viral Pathogenesis and Persistence
The virus is transmitted by infected saliva and reaches the oropharynx epithelial cells where it replicates in production of virions and cell lysis. B cells are infected as they pass through the oropharynx or the epithelium of the postnasal space. The virus uses the cell to contact one of its envelope protein, gp350, which binds to the cellular receptor CD21 (the same that has for the C3d of complement). Read the rest of this entry »