Diplomate, Board Certification of Emergency Medicine
Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine Ma'ayenei
Hayeshua Hospital
I could spend hours speaking about infectious diseases.
Bacteria and viruses have been causing diseases from ancient
times, and despite recent advances in antibiotics, they are
still winning. We will spend the next few columns on the
newest ones to have emerged in the last few years, but first
a little history.
In 1642 van Leuwenhoek, a Dutch scientist, discovered the
microscope and the presence of microorganisms. About 200
years later, French scientist Louis Pasteur discovered that
heat kills some of these organizations and pasteurization --
heat treatment -- of milk and vaccines became commonplace.
Eighty years later, Sir Alexander Fleming left some petri
diseases contaminated with fungus out in the open for the
weekend, and when he returned he found that the fungus
inhibited the growth of bacteria. This was the discovery of
Penicillin and the era of antibiotics began. Drugs such as
Augmentin and Zinnat, which are made by our sponsors and are
the newest in the fight against microorganisms, are all
descendants of this drug.
Bacteria and viruses all posses the ability to become
resistant to antibiotics by changing their cell walls and
even exchanging the genes for neutralizing antibiotics
between one species to the next. Since Fleming's discovery,
all pathogenic bacteria have developed some mode of
resistance to at least one antibiotic, and straight
penicillin is rarely used today due to resistance
problems.
Since microorganisms are constantly changing themselves
(which by the way is why we need new flu shots every year)
new diseases have cropped up in recent times. Some are old
diseases that we discovered were caused by virus (such as
the cancers Burkitt's lymphoma and Kaposi's sarcoma).
Others, such as tuberculosis are old diseases that suddenly
made a comeback. Others are diseases that are made by
bacteria that we recognized but have developed new dangerous
forms -- the flesh eating bacteria. Lastly, entities such as
AIDS and Legionnaire's disease represent new organisms that
were untreatable until recently.
This is an exciting yet awesome study. Join with me in the
next few columns, as we look deeper into the newest diseases
of our times. Write me in care of the Yated.
