An airborne disease is any disease that is caused by pathogens and transmitted

through the air. The relevant pathogens may be viruses, bacteria, or fungi, and they may
be spread through coughing, sneezing, raising of dust, spraying of liquids, or similar
activities likely to generate aerosol particles or droplets.

Pathogen/s: influenza virus A, influenza virus B, and influenza virus C.

Symptoms: Fever or feeling feverish/chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or
body aches, headaches, fatigue (tiredness), some people may have vomiting and diarrhea,
though this is more common in children than adults.
Transmission: Inhalation or ingestion of virus contaminated respiratory secretions.
Additional info: Since then, 31 possible influenza pandemics have been documented, with four
occurring in the twentieth century. The worst pandemic on record occurred in 1918 and killed
approximately 50 million people around the world. This disaster, traced to the Spanish influenza
virus. Another new influenza strain erupted from pigs in 2011, an H3N2. Influenza is widespread
in birds; although birds cannot usually transmit the virus to humans, they can transfer it to pigs.
Pigs can transfer it to humans and humans back to pigs. H1N1 (swine). H5N1 (avian).
Amantadine, rimantadine, zanamivir, and oseltamivir have been shown to reduce the duration
and symptoms of type A influenza if administered during the first 2 days of illness.
Pathogen/s: Measles virus (MeV); Morbillivirus
Symptoms: Nasal discharge, cough, fever, headache, and conjunctivitis, which intensify several
days prior to the onset of rash. Within 3 to 5 days, skin eruptions occur as erythematous (red)
maculopapular (discolored area of small bumps) lesions that are at first discrete but gradually
become confluent
Transmission: Respiratory tract or the conjunctiva of the eyes
Additional info: Koplik's spots represent a skin eruption (viral exanthem) occurring in the form of
macules or papules on the mucosal lining of the mouth. No specific treatment is available for
measles. The use of attenuated measles vaccine or in combination with mumps and rubella
{MMR vaccine) or as a combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccine is
recommended for all children
Pathogen/s: Rubella virus
Symptoms: A rash of small red spots, usually lasting no more than 3 days, and a light fever are
the normal symptoms

Transmission: droplets that are shed from the respiratory secretions of infected individuals

1
Additional info: variant of measles ("first disease"), and then scarlet fever ("second disease");
next it was called "third disease" and then rubella or German measles. However, because rubella
is usually such a mild infection, no treatment is indicated.
Both are caused by a virus. Both cause a skin rash. And both are considered to be a type of
measles.
Rubella is also called German measles, while rubeola is regular measles. The biggest difference
between the two is that rubella is considered to be a milder disease that only lasts around three
days. Rubeola can become a serious illness that lasts several days and can cause other serious
permanent complications.
The rash of rubella (German measles) is pink or light red, spotted, and lasts up to three days.
Other symptoms may include one to two days of a mild fever, swollen lymph nodes and joint
swelling. The rash of rubeola (regular measles) is a full-body red or reddish-brown rash.
However the first symptom is usually a hacking cough, runny nose and high fever.

Pathogen/s: Mumps virus (MuV); Rubulavirus

Symptoms: Swelling and tenderness of the salivary (parotid) glands

Transmission: Saliva and respiratory droplets

Additional info: Therapy of mumps is limited to symptomatic and supportive measures. A live,
attenuated mumps virus vaccine is available. It usually is given as part of the trivalent or
tetravalent MMR vaccine
It causes chickenpox (varicella), a disease most commonly affecting children, teens and young
adults and herpes zoster (shingles) in older adults; shingles is rare in children.
Pathogen/s: VZV; species Human herpesvirus 3
Symptoms: Small vesicles erupt on the face or upper trunk, fill with pus, rupture, and become
covered by scabs

Transmission: Droplet inhalation into the respiratory system.

Additional info: Chickenpox infection can be shortened with the drug acyclovir. Individuals who
recover from chickenpox are subsequently immune to this disease; however, they are not free of
the virus, as viral DNA resides in a dormant (latent) state within the nuclei of cranial nerves and
sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia. When the infected person becomes
immunocompromised by such factors as age, cancers, organ transplants, AIDS, or psychological
or physiological stress, the viruses may become activated, they migrate down sensory nerves,
initiate viral replication, and produce painful vesicles because of sensory nerve damage. This
syndrome is called postherpetic neuralgia. The reactivated form of chickenpox is called
shingles (herpes zoster).

2
Pathogen/s: Variola viruses (VARVs)
Symptoms: acute onset of fever 101F (38.3C), followed by a rash that features firm, deep-
seated vesicles or pustules in the same stage of development without other apparent cause.
Rash of small, red spots; These spots develop into open sores that spread large amounts of the
virus into the mouth and throat. At this time, the person is highly contagious.

Transmission: respiratory droplet

Additional info: Humans are the only natural hosts of variola virus. There is no FDA-approved
treatment for smallpox, although several antiviral agents have been suggested as adjunct
therapies. There is great concern that the smallpox virus could be used as a bioweapon by
terrorists.
Severity: Chickenpox is less deadly comparing to small pox. Smallpox is deadly severe
comparing to chicken pox.
Chickenpox: Lesions first appear on the face or trunk. Smallpox: Lesions first appear in the
throat or mouth, then on the face, or on the upper arms.
Chickenpox: Rash rarely develops on palms and soles. Smallpox: Rash commonly develops on
palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
Pathogen/s: SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV)
Symptoms: headache; mild, flulike discomfort; and body aches
Transmission: close contact with respiratory secretions (droplet spread)

Additional info: No specific treatment is currently approved. SARS patients may develop a dry
cough after a few days, and most will develop pneumonia.

Pathogen/s: Acute respiratory viruses; Adenoviruses, coxsackieviruses A and B, echoviruses,

influenza viruses, parainfluenza viruses, poliovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and reoviruses

Symptoms: Symptoms may be mild, or there may be severe illness and death.

Transmission: respiratory secretions of humans

Additional info: Immunity is not complete, and reinfection is common. The best treatment is rest.
Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) often is described as the most dangerous cause
of lower respiratory infections in infants. Treatment is with inhaled ribavirin. A series of antibody
(HRSV-immune globulin) injections has been shown to reduce the severity of this disease in
infants by 75%.
Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are transmitted by bloodsucking arthropods from one
vertebrate host to another. Mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, lice, and flies are the arthropods that usually
3
act as vectors for various pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. These and other
arthropod-borne diseases can result in a wide range of effects, from mild-flulike symptoms to
death.
Diseases produced by the arboviruses can be divided into three clinical syndromes: (1) fevers of
an undifferentiated type with or without a rash; (2) encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), often
with a high fatality rate; and (3) hemorrhagic fevers, also frequently severe and fatal. No
vaccines are available for most human arthropod-borne diseases, although supportive treatment
is beneficial.
In humans, symptoms include high fever, muscle pain, altered mental status, headache,
meningeal irritation, photophobia, and seizures, which occur three to 10 days after the bite of an
infected mosquito.
Pathogen/s: Alphavirus
Symptoms: In humans, the disease can present as a spectrum from fever and headache to
(aseptic) meningitis and encephalitis. However, disease can be fatal to horses. The equine hosts
generally show little or no disease after infection
Transmission: The virus is transmitted to humans by Aedes and Culex spp. mosquitoes.

Additional info: Human disease can progress to include seizures, paralysis, coma, and death.
Reservoir hosts are important in the replication, maintenance, and dissemination of these
arboviruses. Treatment consists of the supportive care of symptoms.. Currently no vaccine is
available to prevent disease. Preventative measures rely on common mosquito precautions.
Pathogen/s: positive-strand RNA flavivirus; West Nile Virus (WNV)
Symptoms: Most infected individuals remain asymptomatic or exhibit only mild, flulike symptoms
Transmission: WNV is transmitted predominately to humans by Culex spp. mosquitoes that feed
on infected birds (crows and sparrows)
Additional info: Human-to-human transmission has been reported through blood and organ
donation.
Contact Diseases are transmitted when an infected person has direct bodily contact with an
uninfected person and the microbe is passed from one to the other. transfer of Microorganisms
between people occurs by direct contact with the infected person through touching, kissing,
sexual contact, contact with body fluids and secretions, or contact with open wounds.
Pathogen/s: human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
Symptoms: nausea, vomiting, persistent diarrhea, chronic fatigue, rapid weight loss, cough and
shortness of breath, recurring fever, chills, and night sweats, sores in the mouth or on the
genitals, red, brown, or purplish lesions under the skin or inside the mouth or nose, prolonged
swelling of the lymph nodes in the armpits, groin, or neck, memory loss, confusion, or
neurological disorders
Transmission: infected blood, semen, or vaginal secretions come in contact with an uninfected
person's broken skin or mucous membranes

4
Additional info: AIDS was the great pandemic of the second half of the twentieth century.
Molecular epidemiology data indicate that HIV-1 arose from the simian immunodeficiency
virus (SIV) harbored by the chimpanzee (SIVcpz) Pan troglodytes troglodytes (Ptt). The deduced
evolutionary sequence suggests that SIVcpz ancestors recombined when they crossed between
several species of nonhuman primates, then into chimpanzees, and finally into humans. In the
developing world, AIDS affects as many women as men, with many women getting AIDS from
men who have multiple sex partners.

Once a person becomes infected with HIV, the course of disease may vary greatly. Some rapid
progressors may develop clinical
AIDS and die within 2 to 3 years. A small percentage of long-term non-progressors remain
relatively healthy for at least 10 years after infection. For the majority of HIV-infected individuals,
HIV infection progresses to AIDS in 8 to 10 years.
Pathogen/s: Simplexvirus

Symptoms: active infection may be symptom-free, or painful blisters in the infected tissue may
occur. Fever, headache, muscle aches and pains, a burning sensation, and general soreness are
frequently present during the active phase.

Transmission: direct contact of epithelial tissue surfaces with the virus. It can be passed to sexual
contacts even when there are no clinical signs of infection.

Additional info: The term herpes is derived from the Greek word meaning "to creep. Blisters
involving the epidermis and surface mucous membranes of the lips, mouth, and gums
(gingivostomatitis) are referred to as herpes labialis. Primary and recurring HSV infections also
may occur in the eyes, causing herpetic keratitis (inflammation of the cornea)-currently a
major cause of blindness. Blisters involving the epidermis and surface mucous membranes of the
genitals and perianal region are referred to as genital herpes. The blisters are the result of cell
lysis and the development of a local inflammatory response; they contain fluid and infectious
virions. The drugs vidarabine and acyclovir are effective against cold sores. Idoxuridine and
trifluridine are used to treat herpes infections of the eye.
Pathogen/s: rhinoviruses
Symptoms: familiar nasal stuffiness, sneezing, scratchy throat, and a watery discharge from the
nose.

Transmission: infected individuals excreting viruses in nasal secretions, airborne transmission

over short distances by way of moisture droplets, and transmission on contaminated hands or
fomites.

Additional info: Epidemiological studies of rhinovirus colds have shown that the familiar
explosive, non-contained sneeze may not play an important role in virus spread. Rather, hand-to-
5
hand contact between a rhinovirus "donor" and a susceptible "recipient" is more likely. The
common cold occurs worldwide with two main seasonal peaks, spring and early autumn.
Infection is most common early in life and generally decreases with an increase in age.
Treatment for the common cold is mainly rest, extra fluids, and the use of anti-inflammatory
agents for alleviating local and systemic discomfort.

Genital Herpes. (a) Herpes simplex virus virions inside an infected cell. (b) Herpes vesicles on the
penis. The vesicles contain fluid that is infectious. (c) Herpes blistering around the vaginal
opening.
Pathogen/s: herpes simplex virus, predominantly type 2 (HSV-2)

Symptoms: tingling, burning or itching sensation around your genitals, and sometimes down your
leg, before blisters appear, painful red blisters that soon burst to leave sores around your
genitals, rectum (back passage), thighs and buttocks, blisters and ulcers on the cervix (lower
part of the womb) in women

Transmission: healthy people can transmit HSV-2 to their sexual partners or their newborns
during vaginal delivery, the latter leading to congenital (neonatal) herpes.

Additional info: The virus infects the epithelial cells of the external genitalia, the urethra, and the
cervix. Rectal and pharyngeal herpes are also transmitted by sexual contact. Although there is
no cure for genital herpes, oral use of the antiviral drugs acyclovir and famciclovir has proven to
be effective in ameliorating the recurring blister outbreaks.

Human Herpesvirus 6 Infection

Pathogen/s: Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6)
Symptoms: short-lived disease characterized by a high fever of 3 to 4 days' duration, after which
the temperature suddenly drops to normal and a macular rash appears on the trunk and then
spreads to other areas of the body.
Transmission: Since the salivary glands are the major site of latent infection, transmission is
probably by way of saliva.
Additional info: HHV-6 is a unique member of the family Herpesviridae that is distinct
serologically and genetically from the other herpesviruses. HHV-6 is the etiologic agent of
exanthema subitum (Greek exanthema, rash) in infants. HHV-6 produces latent infections, and is
occasionally reactivated in immunocompromised hosts, leading to pneumonitis. To date, there
is no antiviral therapy or prevention.
Human Parvovirus B19 Infection
Pathogen/s: human parvovirus B19; Erythrovirus
Symptoms: ranging from mild symptoms (fever, headache, chills, malaise) in normal persons and
erythema infectiosum in children (fifth disease), to a joint disease syndrome in adults.
6
Transmission: It is assumed that the natural mode of infection is by the respiratory route.
Additional info: Erythema infectiosum. The facial rash of fifth disease, sometimes called "slapped
face syndrome." The treatment of individuals suffering from acute and persistent B19 infections
with commercial immunoglobulins containing anti-B19 and human monoclonal antibodies to B19
is an effective therapy. As with other diseases spread by contact with respiratory secretions,
frequent hand-washing is the best prevention of the disease. Infection typically results in a
lifelong immunity to B19.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV). (a) Transmission electron micrograph of HPV virions. (b) Genital
warts of the vaginal labia. (c) Genital warts in the anal region.
Warts
Pathogen/s: Human papillomavirus (HPV)

Symptoms: Most HPV infections are asymptomatic, transient, and clear on their own without
treatment. However, in some individuals, HPV infections result in genital warts weeks or months
after infection.

Transmission: More than 30 of these viruses are sexually transmitted; they can cause genital
warts-soft, pink cauliflower-like growths that occur on the genital area of women and men, as
well as on the anal region. Genital warts are the most common sexually transmitted disease in
the United States today.

Additional info: Warts, or verrucae (Latin verruca, wart}, are horny projections on the skin
caused by human papillomaviruses. Four major kinds of warts are plantar warts, verrucae
vulgaris, flat or plane warts, and anogenital condylomata (venereal warts). Treatment
includes physical destruction of the wart by electrosurgery, cryosurgery with liquid nitrogen or
solid C02, laser fulguration (drying), direct application of the drug podophyllum to the wart, or
injection of IFN-a.