Sakshamrzt/medical_qa huggingface dataset:
Aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, or meningoencephalitis requires hospitalization and supportive treatment based on severity. Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as corticosteroids, may be considered under specific circumstances. Although studies have shown that ribavirin, a drug used to treat several other viral diseases, is effective against LCMV in vitro, there is no established evidence to support its routine use for treatment of LCM in humans.
Cysticercosis is an infection caused by the larvae of the parasite Taenia solium.  This infection occurs after a person swallows tapeworm eggs. The larvae get into tissues such as muscle and brain, and form cysts there (these are called cysticerci). When cysts are found in the brain, the condition is called neurocysticercosis.
Some people with cysticercosis do not need to be treated. There are medications available to treat cysticercosis for those who do need treatment. Sometimes surgery may be needed. Your doctor will advise you on which treatment is best for you.
    
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Treatment
    
More on: Taeniasis
Whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) is an intestinal parasite of humans. The larvae and adult worms live in the intestine of humans and can cause intestinal disease. The name is derived from the worm’s distinctive whip-like shape.
The standard method for diagnosing the presence of whipworm is by microscopically identifying whipworm eggs in a stool sample. Because eggs may be difficult to find in light infections, a concentration procedure is recommended.
Anthelminthic medications (drugs that rid the body of parasitic worms), such as albendazole and mebendazole, are the drugs of choice for treatment. Infections are generally treated for 3 days. The recommended medications are effective. Health care providers may decide to repeat a stool exam after treatment. Iron supplements may also be prescribed if the infected person suffers from anemia.
    
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Treatment
Marine toxins are naturally occurring chemicals that can contaminate certain seafood. The seafood contaminated with these chemicals frequently looks, smells, and tastes normal. When humans eat such seafood, disease can result.
Diagnosis of marine toxin poisoning is generally based on symptoms and a history of recently eating a particular kind of seafood. Laboratory testing for the specific toxin in patient samples is generally not necessary because this requires special techniques and equipment available in only specialized laboratories. If suspect, leftover fish or shellfish are available, they can be tested for the presence of the toxin more easily. Identification of the specific toxin is not usually necessary for treating patients because there is no specific treatment.
Other than supportive care there are few specific treatments for ciguatera poisoning, paralytic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, or amnesic shellfish poisoning. Antihistamines and epinephrine, however, may sometimes be useful in treating the symptoms of scombrotoxic fish poisoning. Intravenous mannitol has been suggested for the treatment of severe ciguatera poisoning.
It is important to notify public health departments about even one person with marine toxin poisoning. Public health departments can then investigate to determine if a restaurant, oyster bed, or fishing area has a problem. This prevents other illnesses. In any food poisoning occurrence, consumers should note foods eaten and freeze any uneaten portions in case they need to be tested. A commercial test has been developed in Hawaii to allow persons to test sport caught fish for ciguatoxins.
If you continue to live or travel in yellow fever-endemic areas, you should receive a booster dose of yellow fever vaccine after 10 years.
                
After receiving the vaccine, you should receive an International Certificate of Vaccination (yellow card) that has been validated by the vaccination center. This Certificate becomes valid 10 days after vaccination and lasts for 10 years. You will need this card as proof of vaccination to enter certain countries.
Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, is a disease caused by parasitic worms. Infection with Schistosoma mansoni, S. haematobium, and S. japonicum causes illness in humans; less commonly, S. mekongi and S. intercalatum can cause disease. Although the worms that cause schistosomiasis are not found in the United States, more than 200 million people are infected worldwide.
Stool or urine samples can be examined microscopically for parasite eggs (stool for S. mansoni or S. japonicum eggs and urine for S. haematobium eggs). The eggs tend to be passed intermittently and in small amounts and may not be detected, so it may be necessary to perform a blood (serologic) test.
    
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Diagnosis
Safe and effective medication is available for treatment of both urinary and intestinal schistosomiasis. Praziquantel, a prescription medication, is taken for 1-2 days to treat infections caused by all Schistosoma species.
    
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Treatment
The head louse, or Pediculus humanus capitis, is a parasitic insect that can be found on the head, eyebrows, and eyelashes of people. Head lice feed on human blood several times a day and live close to the human scalp. Head lice are not known to spread disease.
Body lice infestation is diagnosed by finding eggs and crawling lice in the seams of clothing. Sometimes a body louse can be seen crawling or feeding on the skin.
    
Although body lice and nits can be large enough to be seen with the naked eye, a magnifying lens may be necessary to find crawling lice or eggs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
    
    
                
    Fact Sheets
Visceral toxocariasis can be treated with antiparasitic drugs such as albendazole or mebendazole. Treatment of ocular toxocariasis is more difficult and usually consists of measures to prevent progressive damage to the eye.
    
More on: Resources For Health Professionals: Treatment
Acanthamoeba is a microscopic, free-living ameba (single-celled living organism) commonly found in the environment that can cause rare, but severe, illness. Acanthamoeba causes three main types of illness involving the eye (Acanthamoeba keratitis), the brain and spinal cord (Granulomatous Encephalitis), and infections that can spread throughout the entire body (disseminated infection).
Contact with  livestock with tick exposure are risk factors for humans, as is contact with infected ticks, whether through crushing the infected tick with unprotected fingers or by a bite from an infected tick. Slaughtering of animals which may acutely but asymptomatically infected may also be a risk factor, as it is possible that infected animals develop a viremia without obvious clinical signs.
There is no standard specific treatment for the disease. Patients receive supportive therapy, which consists of balancing the patient’s fluid and electrolytes, maintaining oxygen status and blood pressure, and treatment for any complications. Mortality in hospitalized patients ranges from 1-20%.
Treatment is available after accurate diagnosis. Your doctor will provide prescription medication, either praziquantel or niclosamide, which is taken by mouth. The medication is also available in a children’s dosage. Work with your health care provider for proper treatment options for you and your family.
    
More on: Resources For Health Professionals: Treatment
No drugs have been shown to be totally effective for the treatment of Baylisascaris infection. Albendazole, a broad spectrum anthelmintic, has been recommended for specific cases.
    
Early treatment might reduce serious damage caused by the infection. Should you suspect you may have ingested raccoon feces, seek immediate medical attention.
    
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Treatment
In symptomatic people, babesiosis usually is diagnosed by examining blood specimens under a microscope and seeing Babesia parasites inside red blood cells.
    
To be sure the diagnosis is correct, your health care provider might have specimens of your blood tested by a specialized reference laboratory (such as at CDC or a health department).
    
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Diagnosis
Effective treatments are available. People who do not have any symptoms or signs of babesiosis usually do not need to be treated.
    
Before considering treatment, the first step is to make sure the diagnosis is correct.
    
For more information, people should talk to their health care provider.
    
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Treatment
There is no specific treatment for Marburg hemorrhagic fever. Supportive hospital therapy should be utilized, which includes balancing the patient's fluids and electrolytes, maintaining oxygen status and blood pressure, replacing lost blood and clotting factors, and treatment for any complicating infections. 
 
Experimental treatments are validated in non-human primates models, but have never been tried in humans.
Hookworm is an intestinal parasite of humans. The larvae and adult worms live in the small intestine can cause intestinal disease. The two main species of hookworm infecting humans are Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus.
The standard method for diagnosing the presence of hookworm is by identifying hookworm eggs in a stool sample using a microscope. Because eggs may be difficult to find in light infections, a concentration procedure is recommended.
Anthelminthic medications (drugs that rid the body of parasitic worms), such as albendazole and mebendazole, are the drugs of choice for treatment of hookworm infections. Infections are generally treated for 1-3 days. The recommended medications are effective and appear to have few side effects. Iron supplements may also be prescribed if the infected person has anemia.
    
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Treatment
The best way to avoid hookworm infection is not to walk barefoot in areas where hookworm is common and where there may be human fecal contamination of the soil. Also, avoid other skin contact with such soil and avoid ingesting it.
    
Infection can also be prevented by not defecating outdoors and by effective sewage disposal systems.
CHHF occurs in the Cochabamba region of Bolivia. 
Field workers 
                
Field workers are at greatest risk because of increased human contact with the reservoir rodent population. Sexual partners of field workers may be at greater risk as well. Laboratory infections have been frequently described with Arenaviruses and Chapare virus can certainly be transmitted to laboratory workers during manipulation of the virus especially during experimental infections of rodents.
Although rodent control would be desirable, it will not be a successful strategy for preventing Chapare hemorrhagic fever cases caused by exposures outdoors. 
   
As for other hemorrhagic fevers, full barrier nursing procedures should be implemented during management of suspected or confirmed CHHF cases.
Y. enterocolitica is a relatively infrequent cause of diarrhea and abdominal pain. Based on data from the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), which measures the burden and sources of specific diseases over time, approximately one culture-confirmed Y. enterocolitica infection per 100,000 persons occurs each year. Children are infected more often than adults, and the infection is more common in the winter.
Y. enterocolitica infections are generally diagnosed by detecting the organism in the stools. Many laboratories do not routinely test for Y. enterocolitica,so it is important to notify laboratory personnel when infection with this bacterium is suspected so that special tests can be done. The organism can also be recovered from other sites, including the throat, lymph nodes, joint fluid, urine, bile, and blood.
Uncomplicated cases of diarrhea due to Y. enterocolitica usually resolve on their own without antibiotic treatment. However, in more severe or complicated infections, antibiotics such as aminoglycosides, doxycycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, or fluoroquinolones may be useful.
In areas where rodent reservoirs and tick species are prevalent, people with recreational or occupational exposure to rural or outdoor settings (e.g., hunters, campers, forest workers, farmers) are potentially at increased risk for OHF by contact with infected ticks and animals. Furthermore, those in Siberia who hunt and trap muskrats specifically are at higher risk for OHF. 
                
Exposure may also occur in the laboratory environment.
OHF virus may be detected in blood samples by virus isolation in cell culture or using molecular techniques such as PCR. Blood samples can also be tested for antibody presence using enzyme-linked immunosorbent seologic assay (ELISA).
There is no specific treatment for OHF, but supportive therapy is important. Supportive therapy includes the maintenance of hydration and the usual precautions for patients with bleeding disorders. 
                
Though rare, OHF can cause hearing loss, hair loss, and behavioral or psychological difficulties associated with neurological conditions and long term supportive case may be needed.
There is no vaccine currently available for OHF, but vaccines for tick-borne encephalitis disease (TBE) have been shown to confer some immunity and may be used for high-risk groups. 
                
Additionally, utilizing insect repellents and wearing protective clothing in areas where ticks are endemic is recommended.
A pinworm ("threadworm") is a small, thin, white roundworm (nematode) called Enterobius vermicularis that sometimes lives in the colon and rectum of humans. Pinworms are about the length of a staple. While an infected person sleeps, female pinworms leave the intestine through the anus and deposit their eggs on the surrounding skin.
Transmission of Hendra virus to humans can occur after exposure to body fluids and tissues or excretions of horses infected with Hendra virus. 
 
Horses may be infected after exposure to virus in the urine of infected flying foxes. 
 
To date, no human-to-human transmission has been documented.
After an incubation of 9-16 days, infection with Hendra virus can lead to respiratory illness with severe flu-like signs and symptoms. In some cases, illness may progress to encephalitis. 
                
Although infection with Hendra virus is rare, the case fatality is high: 4/7 (57%).
The drug ribavirin has been shown to be effective against the viruses in vitro, but the clinical usefulness of this drug is uncertain. 
                
A post-exposure therapy with a Nipah/Hendra neutralizing antibody, efficacious in animal models is in human preclinical development stages in Australia.
There are many different species of hookworms, some are human parasites and some are animal parasites. People can be infected by larvae of animal hookworms, usually dog and cat hookworms. The most common result of animal hookworm infection is a skin condition called cutaneous larva migrans.
The zoonotic hookworm larvae that cause cutaneous larva migrans (CLM) usually do not survive more than 5 – 6 weeks in the human host. In most patients with CLM, the signs and symptoms resolve without medical treatment. However, treatment may help control symptoms and help prevent secondary bacterial infections. Antiparasitic treatments may be prescribed by your health care provider.
    
More on: Resources For Health Professionals: Treatment
Ascaris is an intestinal parasite of humans. It is the most common human worm infection. The larvae and adult worms live in the small intestine and can cause intestinal disease.
Ascaris infection is one of the most common intestinal worm infections. It is found in association with poor personal hygiene, poor sanitation, and in places where human feces are used as fertilizer.
    Geographic Distribution
    
The geographic distributions of Ascaris are worldwide in areas with warm, moist climates and are widely overlapping. Infection occurs worldwide and is most common in tropical and subtropical areas where sanitation and hygiene are poor.
The standard method for diagnosing ascariasis is by identifying Ascaris eggs in a stool sample using a microscope. Because eggs may be difficult to find in light infections, a concentration procedure is recommended.
Anthelminthic medications (drugs that rid the body of parasitic worms), such as albendazole and mebendazole, are the drugs of choice for treatment of Ascaris infections. Infections are generally treated for 1-3 days. The drugs are effective and appear to have few side effects.
    
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Treatment
Animal herders, livestock workers, and slaughterhouse workers in endemic areas are at risk of CCHF. Healthcare workers in endemic areas are at risk of infection through unprotected contact with infectious blood and body fluids. Individuals and international travelers with contact to livestock in endemic regions may also be exposed.
Although rodent control would be desirable, it will not be a successful strategy for preventing Lujo hemorrhagic fever cases caused by exposures outdoors. 
   
As for other hemorrhagic fevers, full barrier nursing procedures should be implemented during management of suspected or confirmed LUHF cases (no infection occurred after their implementation in South Africa).
Acinetobacter causes a variety of diseases, ranging from pneumonia to serious blood or wound infections, and the symptoms vary depending on the disease. Acinetobacter may also “colonize” or live in a patient without causing infection or symptoms, especially in tracheostomy sites or open wounds.
Acinetobacter can live on the skin and may survive in the environment for several days. Careful attention to infection control procedures, such as hand hygiene and environmental cleaning, can reduce the risk of transmission.
Acinetobacter is often resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics. Decisions on treatment of infections with Acinetobacter should be made on a case-by-case basis by a healthcare provider. Acinetobacter infection typically occurs in ill patients and can either cause or contribute to death in these patients.
Also called crab lice or "crabs," pubic lice are parasitic insects found primarily in the pubic or genital area of humans. Pubic lice infestation is found worldwide and occurs in all races, ethnic groups, and levels of society.
Paragonimus infections are treatable by your health care provider. Prescription medications are available.
    
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Treatment
Never eat raw freshwater crabs or crayfish. Cook crabs and crayfish for to at least 145°F (~63°C). Travelers should be advised to avoid traditional meals containing undercooked freshwater crustaceans.
    
More on: Fight BAC: Safe Food Handling
Diagnosis can be made in the early stage of illness by molecular detection by PCR or virus isolation from blood. Later, serologic testing using enzyme-linked immunosorbent serologic assay (ELISA) can be performed.
There is no specific treatment for KFD, but early hospitalization and supportive therapy is important. Supportive therapy includes the maintenance of hydration and the usual precautions for patients with bleeding disorders.
A vaccine does exist for KFD and is used in endemic areas of India. Additional preventative measures include insect repellents and wearing protective clothing in areas where ticks are endemic.
Cyclospora cayetanensis is a parasite composed of one cell, too small to be seen without a microscope. This parasite causes an intestinal infection called cyclosporiasis.
Trichinellosis, also called trichinosis, is caused by eating raw or undercooked meat of animals infected with the larvae of a species of worm called Trichinella. Infection occurs commonly in certain wild carnivorous (meat-eating) animals such as bear or cougar, or omnivorous (meat and plant-eating) animals such as domestic pigs or wild boar.
Safe and effective prescription drugs are available to treat both Trichinella infection and the symptoms that occur as a result of infection. Treatment should begin as soon as possible; a doctor will make the decision to treat based upon symptoms, exposure to raw or undercooked meat, and laboratory test results.
    
More on: Resources For Health Professionals: Treatment
There is no cure for striatonigral degeneration, and treatments for the disorder have variable success. Treatments used for Parkinson's disease are recommended. However, unlike Parkinson's disease, striatonigral degeneration is not responsive to levodopa. Dopamine and anticholinergics provide some benefit. Generally, treatment is reevaluated as the disorder progresses.
Striatonigral degeneration progresses slowly. Some patients have normal life expectancy.
The NINDS supports and conducts research on disorders of the brain and nervous system such as striatonigral degeneration. This research focuses on finding ways to prevent and treat these disorders.
Unless the syndrome results in other medical problems, treatment for endocrine dysfunction associated with pituitary malfunction is symptomatic and supportive. Individuals with primary ESS who have high levels of prolactin may be given bromocriptine. In some cases, particularly when spinal fluid drainage is observed, surgery may be needed.
ESS is not a life-threatening condition. Most often, and particularly among those with primary ESS, the disorder does not cause health problems and does not affect life expectancy.
PLS is not fatal. There is no cure and the progression of symptoms varies. Some people may retain the ability to walk without assistance, but others eventually require wheelchairs, canes, or other assistive devices.
The NINDS conducts a broad range of research on neuromuscular disorders such as PLS. This research is aimed at developing techniques to diagnose, treat, prevent, and ultimately cure these devastating diseases.
No one treatment has been found to be universally effective. Instead, doctors use a variety of therapies (medications, surgery, and other treatments such as physical therapy, splinting, stress management, and biofeedback) aimed at reducing or eliminating muscle spasms and pain. Since response to drugs varies among individuals and even in the same person over time, the most effective therapy is often individualized.
The initial symptoms can be very mild and may be noticeable only after prolonged exertion, stress, or fatigue. Dystonias often progress through various stages. Initially, dystonic movements are intermittent and appear only during voluntary movements or stress. Later, individuals may show dystonic postures and movements while walking and ultimately even while they are relaxed. Dystonic motions may lead to permanent physical deformities by causing tendons to shorten.
Currently there is no specific treatment for Farbers disease. Corticosteroids may help relieve pain. Bone marrow transplants may improve granulomas (small masses of inflamed tissue) on individuals with little or no lung or nervous system complications. Older persons may have granulomas surgically reduced or removed.
Most children with the classic form of Farbers disease die by age 2, usually from lung disease. Children born with the most severe form of the disease usually die within 6 months, while individuals having a milder form of the disease may live into their teenage years or young adulthood.
The prognosis for the familial periodic paralyses varies. Chronic attacks may result in progressive weakness that persists between attacks. Some cases respond well to treatment, which can prevent or reverse progressive muscle weakness.
The NINDS conducts and supports research on neuromuscular disorders such as the familial periodic paralyses. These studies are aimed at increasing knowledge about these disorders and finding ways to prevent, treat, and cure them.
There is no treatment for Todd's paralysis. Individuals must rest as comfortably as possible until the paralysis disappears.
Todd's paralysis is an indication that an individual has had an epileptic seizure. The outcome depends on the effects of the seizure and the subsequent treatment of the epilepsy.