 Caused by parasite › Transmitted by mosquito › Once injected into the human, the parasite grows and multiples first in the liver and then the red blood cells.

 Symptoms appear days after infection  Patient will experience: › Fever, chills, sweats, headaches, nausea, body aches, general malaise

 About 1,500 cases reported every year in the U.S. › From travelers and/or immigrants › Malaria considered eradicated from U.S. in 1950’s.  3.3 billion people diagnosed worldwide › Thrives in tropical and subtropical areas.

 Multicelled organisms  Contain polysaccharide – chitin  Reproductive structures – spores  Cause disease by interfering with normal organ structure and function or by inflammation or allergy

 Most pathogenic fungi are molds › Mold common in soil, air, water, dust › Aspergillus mold is most common

 Recent multistate fungal meningitis outbreak… Picture: (CNN, 2012)

 Inflammation of the protective membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.  Many different types: fungal meningitis is NOT contagious but still serious.  Symptoms include: › Fever, headache, and stiff neck

 Normally does not cause disease, but takes advantage of a weakened immune system › “opportunistic” › Ex: Athlete’s foot fungal skin infection  Infects about 10% of US population  Topical creams prevent new growth, but don’t kill fungi already there  Often comes back  Prevention

 Ex: Candida yeast infection › White or yellow curd-like patches (colonies) › Thrives in moist & warm environments:  Mouth/throat, Digestive tract/anus, penis, vagina › 75% of women will get a vaginal yeast infection in their lifetime.

 Prions (Pree – ons) = Proteinaceous Infectious particles  Mutated prions cause: › Mad Cow Disease in cows and › Variant Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease (vCJD) in people

 An infectious agent composed only of protein  All known prion diseases affect the structure of the brain or other neural tissues by inducing abnormal folding of normal cellular proteins in the brain  Usually progresses rapidly and are currently untreatable and fatal

 Prions can jump from one species to another, but easier among same species. › “Species barrier” somewhat protective › Cow by-products fed to other cows › In cows: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy  Symptoms › Loss of coordination › Dementia › Brain full of holes (sponge) › Death

 Mad cow disease 1 st identified in 1980s in Britain  217 people from 11 countries have contracted or died from vCJD to date (CDC) › 170 in United Kingdom › 25 in France › 3 in U.S. – believed exposed in UK in 1980s

 CDC: “The risk of getting mad cow disease from eating beef from European cattle is about 1 in 10 billion” (10/2003)  CDC: “The risk to human health from BSE in the United States is extremely low” (2007)  While the risk is small, it takes years from infection to the onset of disease – so who really knows the risk??

 USDA budget for 2007: cut back on cattle testing  Less than ½ of 1% (0.006) tested!

 Public health control measures to keep infected meat out of the human food chain. › No downer cows (12/2003) › No cows fed to cows (1997) › Prohibition of certain cow parts in the human food supply (2006)  Ground beef a source?