shaneperry0101/health-chatbot huggingface dataset:
Question: What is (are) Parasites - Echinococcosis ?
Answer: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Cystic echinococcosis (CE) disease results from being infected with the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus, a tiny tapeworm (~2-7 millimeters in length) found in dogs (definitive host), sheep, cattle, goats, foxes, and pigs, amongst others (intermediate hosts). Most infections in humans are asymptomatic, but CE, also known as hydatid disease, causes slowly enlarging masses, most commonly in the liver and the lungs. Treatment can involve both medication and surgery.
More on: Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) FAQs
Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) disease results from being infected with the larval stage of Echinococcus multilocularis, a tiny tapeworm (~1-4 millimeters in length) found in foxes, coyotes, dogs, and cats (definitive hosts). Although human cases are rare, infection in humans causes parasitic tumors to form in the liver, and, less commonly, the lungs, brain, and other organs. If left untreated, infection with AE can be fatal.
More on: Alveolar Echinococcosis (AE) FAQs
Question: Who is at risk for Parasites - Echinococcosis? ?
Answer: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is caused by infection with the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus. CE is found in Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America, and in rare cases, North America. The parasite is transmitted to dogs when they ingest the organs of other animals that contain hydatid cysts. The cysts develop into adult tapeworms in the dog. Infected dogs shed tapeworm eggs in their feces which contaminate the ground. Sheep, cattle, goats, and pigs ingest tapeworm eggs in the contaminated ground; once ingested, the eggs hatch and develop into cysts in the internal organs. The most common mode of transmission to humans is by the accidental consumption of soil, water, or food that has been contaminated by the fecal matter of an infected dog. Echinococcus eggs that have been deposited in soil can stay viable for up to a year. The disease is most commonly found in people involved in raising sheep, as a result of the sheep's role as an intermediate host of the parasite and the presence of working dogs that are allowed to eat the offal of infected sheep.
Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is caused by infection with the larval stage of Echinococcus multilocularis. AE is found across the globe and is especially prevalent in the northern latitudes of Europe, Asia, and North America. The adult tapeworm is normally found in foxes, coyotes, and dogs. Infection with the larval stages is transmitted to people through ingestion of food or water contaminated with tapeworm eggs.
Question: How to diagnose Parasites - Echinococcosis ?
Answer: The presence of a cyst-like mass in a person with a history of exposure to sheepdogs in an area where E. granulosus is endemic suggests a diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis. Imaging techniques, such as CT scans, ultrasonography, and MRIs, are used to detect cysts. After a cyst has been detected, serologic tests may be used to confirm the diagnosis.
Alveolar echinococcosis is typically found in older people. Imaging techniques such as CT scans are used to visually confirm the parasitic vesicles and cyst-like structures and serologic tests can confirm the parasitic infection.
Question: What are the treatments for Parasites - Echinococcosis ?
Answer: In the past, surgery was the only treatment for cystic echinococcal cysts. Chemotherapy, cyst puncture, and PAIR (percutaneous aspiration, injection of chemicals and reaspiration) have been used to replace surgery as effective treatments for cystic echinococcosis. However, surgery remains the most effective treatment to remove the cyst and can lead to a complete cure. Some cysts are not causing any symptoms and are inactive; those cysts often go away without any treatment.
The treatment of alveolar echinococcosis is more difficult than cystic echinococcosis and usually requires radical surgery, long-term chemotherapy, or both.
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Treatment
Question: How to prevent Parasites - Echinococcosis ?
Answer: Cystic echinococcosis is controlled by preventing transmission of the parasite. Prevention measures include limiting the areas where dogs are allowed and preventing animals from consuming meat infected with cysts.
- Prevent dogs from feeding on the carcasses of infected sheep.
- Control stray dog populations.
- Restrict home slaughter of sheep and other livestock.
- Do not consume any food or water that may have been contaminated by fecal matter from dogs.
- Wash your hands with soap and warm water after handling dogs, and before handling food.
- Teach children the importance of washing hands to prevent infection.
Alveolar echinococcosis can be prevented by avoiding contact with wild animals such as foxes, coyotes, and dogs and their fecal matter and by limiting the interactions between dogs and rodent populations.
- Do not allow dogs to feed on rodents and other wild animals.
- Avoid contact with wild animals such as foxes, coyotes and stray dogs.
- Do not encourage wild animals to come close to your home or keep them as pets.
- Wash your hands with soap and warm water after handling dogs or cats, and before handling food.
- Teach children the importance of washing hands to prevent infection.
More on: Handwashing
Question: How to diagnose Parasites - Angiostrongyliasis (also known as Angiostrongylus Infection) ?
Answer: Angiostrongylus cantonensis
Diagnosing A. cantonensis infections can be difficult, in part because there are no readily available blood tests. Important clues that could lead to the diagnosis of infection are a history of travel to where the parasite is known to be found and ingestion of raw or undercooked snails, slugs, or possibly transport hosts (such as frogs, fresh water shrimp or land crabs) in those areas. A high level of eosinophils, a blood cell that can be elevated in the presence of a parasite, in the blood or in the fluid that surrounds the brain can be another important clue. Persons worried that they might be infected should consult their health care provider.
Angiostrongylus costaricensis
Diagnosing A. costaricensis infections can be difficult, in part because there are no readily available blood tests. Important clues that could lead to the diagnosis of infection are a history of travel to where the parasite is known to be found and ingestion of raw or undercooked slugs or food contaminated by infected slugs or their slime. A high blood level of eosinophils, a blood cell that can be elevated in the presence of a parasite, can be another important clue. Persons worried that they might be infected should consult their health care provider.
Question: What are the treatments for Parasites - Angiostrongyliasis (also known as Angiostrongylus Infection) ?
Answer: Angiostrongylus cantonensis
There is no specific treatment for A. cantonensis infection. There is some evidence that certain supportive treatments may reduce the severity of headache and the duration of symptoms. Persons with symptoms should consult their health care provider for more information.
Angiostrongylus costaricensis
There is no specific treatment for A. costaricensis infections. Most infections resolve spontaneously though sometime surgical treatment is necessary to removed portions of inflamed intestine. Persons with symptoms should consult their health care provider for more information.
Question: How to prevent Parasites - Angiostrongyliasis (also known as Angiostrongylus Infection) ?
Answer: Angiostrongylus cantonensis
Prevention of A. cantonensis infections involves educating persons residing in or traveling to areas where the parasite is found about not ingesting raw or undercooked snails and slugs, freshwater shrimp, land crabs, frogs, and monitor lizards, or potentially contaminated vegetables, or vegetable juice. Removing snails, slugs, and rats found near houses and gardens should also help reduce risk. Thoroughly washing hands and utensils after preparing raw snails or slugs is also recommended. Vegetables should be thoroughly washed if eaten raw.
Angiostrongylus costaricensis
Prevention of A. costaricensis infections involves educating persons residing in and traveling to areas where the parasite is known to be found about not ingesting raw or undercooked slugs or potentially contaminated vegetables or vegetable juices. Removing slugs and rats found near houses and gardens should help reduce risk. Thoroughly washing hands and utensils after preparing raw slugs is also recommended. Vegetables should be thoroughly washed if eaten raw.
Question: What are the symptoms of Typhoid Fever ?
Answer: Persons with typhoid fever usually have a sustained fever as high as 103° to 104° F (39° to 40° C). They may also feel weak, or have stomach pains, headache, or loss of appetite. In some cases, patients have a rash of flat, rose-colored spots. The only way to know for sure if an illness is typhoid fever is to have samples of stool or blood tested for the presence of Salmonella Typhi.
Typhoid fever’s danger doesn’t end when symptoms disappear: Even if your symptoms seem to go away, you may still be carrying Salmonella Typhi. If so, the illness could return, or you could pass the disease to other people. In fact, if you work at a job where you handle food or care for small children, you may be barred legally from going back to work until a doctor has determined that you no longer carry any typhoid bacteria.
If you are being treated for typhoid fever, it is important to do the following:
Keep taking the prescribed antibiotics for as long as the doctor has asked you to take them.
Wash your hands carefully with soap and water after using the bathroom, and do not prepare or serve food for other people. This will lower the chance that you will pass the infection on to someone else.
Have your doctor perform a series of stool cultures to ensure that no Salmonella Typhi bacteria remain in your body.
Question: Who is at risk for Parasites - Ascariasis? ?
Answer: 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.
Question: What are the treatments for Parasites - Ascariasis ?
Answer: 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
Question: How to prevent Parasites - Ascariasis ?
Answer: The best way to prevent ascariasis is to always:
- Avoid ingesting soil that may be contaminated with human feces, including where human fecal matter ("night soil") or wastewater is used to fertilize crops.
- Wash your hands with soap and warm water before handling food.
- Teach children the importance of washing hands to prevent infection.
- Wash, peel, or cook all raw vegetables and fruits before eating, particularly those that have been grown in soil that has been fertilized with manure.
More on: Handwashing
Transmission of infection to others can be prevented by
- Not defecating outdoors.
- Effective sewage disposal systems.
More on: Handwashing
Question: What is (are) Acinetobacter in Healthcare Settings ?
Answer: Acinetobacter [asz−in−ée−toe–back−ter] is a group of bacteria commonly found in soil and water. While there are many types or “species” of Acinetobacter and all can cause human disease, Acinetobacter baumannii [asz−in−ée−toe–back−ter boe-maa-nee-ie] accounts for about 80% of reported infections.
Outbreaks of Acinetobacter infections typically occur in intensive care units and healthcare settings housing very ill patients. Acinetobacter infections rarely occur outside of healthcare settings.
Question: What is (are) Tuberculosis (TB) ?
Answer: The Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE) Laboratory Branch (LB) provides services for the following tests on mycobacterial cultures. Any local health department, licensed physician's office, licensed laboratory or licensed health care facility may submit cultures for testing but they must be routed through either their state health department or other authorized facility.
Genotyping
State or local TB control programs
A genotyping laboratory, in Michigan is under contract with CDC to provide genotyping services to TB programs in the United States. Three genotyping methods to identify TB strains:
- Spoligotyping
- Mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit (MIRU) analysis
- IS6110-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis
For more information, view the Guide to the Application of Genotyping to Tuberculosis Prevention and Control.
DTBE epidemiologic investigations and surveillance activities
- The LB provides support for DTBE epidemiologic investigations and surveillance activities. TB genotyping results, when combined with epidemiologic data, help to distinguish TB patients who are involved in the same chain of recent transmission.
Drug susceptibility testing
The LB performs drug susceptibility testing for selected Mycobacterium species referred from state or other authorized health facilities. Cultures of mycobacteria are tested by the indirect proportion method with antituberculosis drugs incorporated into 7H10 agar plates.
Additional Resources
Question: what research is being done for Tuberculosis (TB) ?
Answer: TB Epidemiologic Studies Consortium
The TB Epidemiologic Studies Consortium (TBESC) was established to strengthen, focus, and coordinate tuberculosis (TB) research. The TBESC is designed to build the scientific research capacities of state and metropolitan TB control programs, participating laboratories, academic institutions, hospitals, and both non- and for-profit organizations.
TB Trials Consortium
The TB Trials Consortium (TBTC) is a collaboration of North American and international clinical investigators whose mission is to conduct programmatically relevant research concerning the diagnosis, clinical management, and prevention of TB infection and disease.
Behavioral and Social Science Research
Behavioral and social science research has the potential to make a tremendous impact on TB elimination efforts. This research is needed to 1) understand how behaviors of both patients and providers affect TB-related care seeking, diagnosis, treatment success, and prevention; and 2) understand how other social, cultural, and environmental influences affect health seeking and treatment outcomes related to TB.
Question: Who is at risk for Parasites - Lice - Pubic "Crab" Lice? ?
Answer: Pubic ("crab") lice infestation is found worldwide and occurs in all races and ethnic groups and in all levels of society. Pubic lice usually are spread through sexual contact and are most common in adults. Occasionally pubic lice may be spread by close personal contact or contact with articles such as clothing, bed linens, and towels that have been used by an infested person. Pubic lice found on the head or eyelashes of children may be an indication of sexual exposure or abuse.
Pubic lice do not transmit disease; however, secondary bacterial infection can occur from scratching of the skin.
Question: How to prevent Parasites - Lice - Pubic "Crab" Lice ?
Answer: Pubic ("crab") lice most commonly are spread directly from person to person by sexual contact. Pubic lice very rarely may be spread by clothing, bedding, or a toilet seat.
The following are steps that can be taken to help prevent and control the spread of pubic ("crab") lice:
- All sexual contacts of the infested person should be examined. All those who are infested should be treated.
- Sexual contact between the infested person(s)s and their sexual partner(s) should be avoided until all have been examined, treated as necessary, and reevaluated to rule out persistent infestation.
- Machine wash and dry clothing worn and bedding used by the infested person in the hot water (at least 130°F) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry-cleaned OR sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.
- Do not share clothing, bedding, and towels used by an infested person.
- Do not use fumigant sprays or fogs; they are not necessary to control pubic ("crab") lice and can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
Persons with pubic lice should be examined and treated for any other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that may be present.
Question: Who is at risk for Parasites - Paragonimiasis (also known as Paragonimus Infection)? ?
Answer: Several species of Paragonimus cause most infections; the most important is P. westermani, which occurs primarily in Asia including China, the Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. P. africanus causes infection in Africa, and P. mexicanus in Central and South America. Specialty dishes in which shellfish are consumed raw or prepared only in vinegar, brine, or wine without cooking play a key role in the transmission of paragonimiasis. Raw crabs or crayfish are also used in traditional medicine practices in Korea, Japan, and some parts of Africa.
Although rare, human paragonimiasis from P. kellicotti has been acquired in the United States, with multiple cases from the Midwest. Several cases have been associated with ingestion of uncooked crawfish during river raft float trips in Missouri.
Question: How to diagnose Parasites - Paragonimiasis (also known as Paragonimus Infection) ?
Answer: The infection is usually diagnosed by identification of Paragonimus eggs in sputum. The eggs are sometimes found in stool samples (coughed-up eggs are swallowed). A tissue biopsy is sometimes performed to look for eggs in a tissue specimen.
Specific and sensitive antibody tests based on P. westermani antigens are available through CDC, and serologic tests using a variety of techniques are available through commercial laboratories.
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Diagnosis
More on: DPDx: Paragonimus
Question: What are the treatments for Parasites - Paragonimiasis (also known as Paragonimus Infection) ?
Answer: Paragonimus infections are treatable by your health care provider. Prescription medications are available.
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Treatment
Question: How to prevent Parasites - Paragonimiasis (also known as Paragonimus Infection) ?
Answer: 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
Question: Who is at risk for Parasites - Cyclosporiasis (Cyclospora Infection)? ?
Answer: People become infected with Cyclospora by ingesting sporulated oocysts, which are the infective form of the parasite. This most commonly occurs when food or water contaminated with feces is consumed. An infected person sheds unsporulated (immature, non-infective) Cyclospora oocysts in the feces. The oocysts are thought to require days to weeks in favorable environmental conditions to sporulate (become infective). Therefore, direct person-to-person transmission is unlikely, as is transmission via ingestion of newly contaminated food or water.
More on: Cyclospora Biology
Geographic Distribution
Cyclosporiasis occurs in many countries, but it seems to be most common in tropical and subtropical regions. In areas where cyclosporiasis has been studied, the risk for infection is seasonal. However, no consistent pattern has been identified regarding the time of year or the environmental conditions, such as temperature or rainfall.
In the United States, foodborne outbreaks of cyclosporiasis since the mid-1990s have been linked to various types of imported fresh produce, including raspberries, basil, snow peas, and mesclun lettuce; no commercially frozen or canned produce has been implicated.
U.S. cases of infection also have occurred in persons who traveled to Cyclospora-endemic areas. To reduce the risk for infection, travelers should take precautions, such as those recommended in CDC's Health Information for International Travel (Yellow Book). Travelers also should be aware that treatment of water or food with chlorine or iodine is unlikely to kill Cyclospora oocysts.
Question: How to diagnose Parasites - Cyclosporiasis (Cyclospora Infection) ?
Answer: Clinical Diagnosis
Health care providers should consider Cyclospora as a potential cause of prolonged diarrheal illness, particularly in patients with a history of recent travel to Cyclospora-endemic areas. Testing for Cyclospora is not routinely done in most U.S. laboratories, even when stool is tested for parasites. Therefore, if indicated, health care providers should specifically request testing for Cyclospora.
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Diagnosis
Laboratory Diagnosis
Cyclospora infection is diagnosed by examining stool specimens. Diagnosis can be difficult in part because even persons who are symptomatic might not shed enough oocysts in their stool to be readily detectable by laboratory examinations. Therefore, patients might need to submit several specimens collected on different days.
Special techniques, such as acid-fast staining, are often used to make Cyclospora oocysts more visible under the microscope. In addition, Cyclospora oocysts are autofluorescent, meaning that when stool containing the parasite is viewed under an ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence microscope the parasite appears blue or green against a black background. Molecular diagnostic methods, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, are used to look for the parasite's DNA in the stool.
More on: Key points for the laboratory diagnosis of cyclosporiasis
Question: What are the treatments for Parasites - Cyclosporiasis (Cyclospora Infection) ?
Answer: Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX), sold under the trade names Bactrim*, Septra*, and Cotrim*, is the usual therapy for Cyclospora infection. No highly effective alternative antibiotic regimen has been identified yet for patients who do not respond to the standard treatment or have a sulfa allergy.
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Treatment
Most people who have healthy immune systems will recover without treatment. If not treated, the illness may last for a few days to a month or longer. Symptoms may seem to go away and then return one or more times (relapse). Anti-diarrheal medicine may help reduce diarrhea, but a health care provider should be consulted before such medicine is taken. People who are in poor health or who have weakened immune systems may be at higher risk for severe or prolonged illness.
More on: Resources for Health Professionals FAQs
* Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the Public Health Service or by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.