General terms
une bactérie a bacterium (pl : bacteria)
un virus a virus
un prion a prion
un bacille a bacillus (pl :bacilli)
un champignon a fungus (pl : fungi [-ai/i :])
fongique fungal
parasite parasite [-sait]
parasitaire parasitic [-si-]
une épidémie an epidemic
une endémie an endemic
une pandémie a pandemic
une explosion an outbreak
un fléau a scourge
maladies bactériennes bacterial diseases
le contact avec the exposure to
un porteur a carrier
un vaccine a vaccine
un rappel a booster
antibiotiques antibiotics
antibiogramme antibiogram
coproculture stool culture
test de dépistage screening test
déclaré full-blown
ganglions lymphatiques lymph nodes
croûte crust
période d’incubation incubation period
début onset
Diseases
la rougeole measles/rubeola
les oreillons mumps/infectious parotitis
la rubéole German measles/rubella
le ROR MMR
la poliomyélite poliomyelitis
la variole small pox
la grippe influenza/ the flu
la varicelle chicken pox
la rage rabies
l’herpès herpes
la scarlatine scarlet fever
la diphtérie diphtheria
coqueluche whooping cough/pertussis
le tétanos tetanus
la tuberculose tuberculosis
la lèpre leprosy
la peste plague
un staphylocoque a staphylococcus
maladies sexuellement transmissibles (MST) sexually transmissible diseases (STD)
SIDA AIDS
séropositif HIV positive
maladie de Lyme Lyme disease
maladies transmises par les tiques tick-borne diseases
Useful verbs
contrôler handle/contain
attraper catch
contracter contract
contaminer contaminate
transmettre transmit
(se) répandre spread
incuber incubate
augmenter increase/rise/climb
carry porter
développer develop
présenter present
vacciner vaccinate
éviter avoid
muter mutate
affaiblir weaken
Clinical examination
Have you been to a foreign country?
Are you up to date in your immunisation?
When was your last booster for tetanus?
Do you have a fever?
Have you noticed any rash/spots/lesions on your skin?
Do you have a sore throat?
Do you blow your nose?
Have you had unprotected sexual intercourse?
Are you on hard drugs?
Are you allergic to penicillin?
Test your knowledge
1. Name the infectious diseases corresponding to the description:
1) A very serious, usually fatal, contagious disease caused by the pox virus, with a severe rash, leaving masses of small scars on the skin : _________
2) An infectious bacterial disease of the skin and peripheral nerves caused by Mycobacterium Leprae, which destroys the tissues and causes severe disfigurement: _________________
3) An infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract with fever and muscular aches: ________________
4) An infectious disease affecting the bronchial tubes, common in children, and characterized by a noisy cough: _________________
5) A serious bacterial or viral disease causing inflammation of the meninges: ___________________
6) A disease of the nervous system of warm-blooded animals that is usually transmitted through a bite and is characterized by fear of water and convulsions __________________
7) A disease caused by a bacillus and characterized by the formation of lumps on the skin that enlarge and spread and production of deformities __________________
8) A disease caused by a bacterium (Yersinia pestis) and transmitted by rats __________________
9) A viral disease characterized by a rash followed by the appearance of pustules that dry up and leave scars __________________
10) An acute infectious disease marked by gross swelling of the parotid glands __________________
2. Case-report
Question 1 : Diagnosis of childhood illnesses
Options :
A. Varicella zoster
B. Infectious mononucleosis
C. Kawasaki syndrome
D. measles
E. Erythema infectiosum
For each case below, choose the SINGLE most likely diagnosis from the above list of options.
1. A 15-year-old girl presents with fever, cough, corysa, and conjunctivitis 9 years after exposure. On examination, she has blue-white punctuate lesions on her buccal mucosa.
2. A 17-year-old boy presents with fever, stridor, and trismus. He is noted to be drooling saliva. On examination, he has palpable neck nodes. He fails to respond to a course of penicillin.
3. A 7-year-old girl presents with a low grade fever and a “slapped cheek”, erythematous eruption on her cheeks.
4. A 4-year-old boy presents with an acute onset of fever and a vesicular eruption, following an incubation period of 12 days. The vesicles evolve into pustules and crust over.
5. A 1-year-old baby boy presents with a 5-day history of fever, strawberry tongue, and erythema of the palms and soles. He also has an enlarged 2 cm lymph node.
Question 2: Causes of bacterial infections
Options:
A. Clostridum perfringens
B. Escherichia coli
C. pseudomonas pyocaneus
D. Bacillus anthracis
E. Borrelia burgdorferi
For each case below, choose the SINGLE most likely causative organism from the above list of options.
1. A 50-year-old diabetic complains of severe otalgia. On examination, there is granulation tissue present in the ear canal.
2. A 20-year-old man presents with fever, rash, and is unable to close his left eye. On examination, he is noted to have a skin rash with central clearing spreading from a tick bite and left-sided facial palsy.
3. A 50-year-old alcoholic with known liver disease presents with fever, abdominal pain and distension. Paracentesis of the peritoneal fluid with Gram straining reveals Gram-negative rods.
4. A 55-year-old abattoir worker presents with fever, oedema, and a cutaneous pustule. Scraping of the skin lesion reveals Gram-positive rods.
5. A 60-year-old IDDM male presents with a painful and swollen leg. X-ray of the leg reveals air in the soft tissues.
