ABOUT INFECTIONS

The human body allways have microbes and small animals on itself and inside body cavities like the mouth and throut, nose, lower intestinal tract, the end part of the urethra, the vagina, the colon and rectum. Such organisms are bacteria, some monocellular organisms like protozoa, some small warms, mites, fungi and viruses.

Some of these microbes are ther without doing any damage. Some of them fight other microbes that can make damage and some aid in body processes like the digestive system.

It is not normal however that microbes reside in the tissues of te body and other inner cavities.

Because housing organisms is normal to the body, it is not easy to define an infaction. The term is used in these circumstances:

- A organsisnm is found where it normally should not be.

- An organism that is not one from the normal flora found in the body is present.

- Organisms are found in greater amount nthan normal.

- The organisms create symptoms or damages that can be seen or measured.

- The organism creates symptoms that can be sensed.

Normally an infection will go through several faces that however will overlap to some extend:

- An infectious agent will introduce itself into the body. This typically occur of there is sime damage some place or if the defnce barriers in the body are weak. An infectious agent can be introduced passively or force itself inside with active movements. Often the agent also utilize the bodie's own tranpourt mechanisms.

- The agent will spread itself inside the body, either locally or sometimes to greatar body areas and proliferate.

- The agent will nourish from the substances in the body. In order to nourish itself it breaks down tissue component that it can use as own nutrishion. This breakdown causes damage. It can also deplete the body for nutrients locally or syetmically.

- The infectious agent will produce substances from its own metabolism. These substances will often be toxic and cause functional impairments or damage.

- Soon in the process the immune system will mobilize a counterattack. This conterattack is very complicated and consists of several components. The total components of the counterattack is commonly called inflammation.

- One early reaction is to increase the permeability of the blood vessels for fluid, immune cells and substances produced by the immune cells, and to increase the blood flow . These reactions causean cause swelling, warmth and redness in the infected area.

- Increased temperature in a gretar area around the infected place or in the whole body will ofte occur, so called fever. The fever will oftem make it unfavourable for the microbe and more easy for the immune system to act.

- The system will typically secrete antibodies that bind to the microbes or substances produced by the microbes and immobilize them. The imobilized microbes or substances will then be eaten by specific cells and digested. The waste product of these action will often accumulate and develope pus.

- Sometimes the immune system overreacts, so that allergy against the infectious agent or against products that the agent produces. Sometimes the infection also trigger attack from the immune system upon structures in the body itself. This can in special cases lead to great damages to the body or to to important body structures. Such falty actions of the immune system can continue and also often start when the microbes themselves are fought back.

Rheumatic fever is such a condition that can occur after for example a throut infection. Meningitis often causes such an over-reaction that can lead to great destructions in various parts of the body. When such an over-reaction occur sytemically in the whole body, it is called sepsis. Sepsis will often occur when an infection spreads into the blood circulation.

- Eventually the infection is fought back. Then comes a face where the damages are repared.

Sometimes however, the immune system does not manage to fight back the infection. In severe cases this will cause death. More ofte however it will result in a chronic infection where the microbes constantly proliferate and causes harm, where the immune system constantly keeps the infection down and where new damages are constantly repaired.

The traditional approach to prevent infections is measures like thorrough cleaning, sterilization and using of antispetic remedies. In certain places and situation such measures are appropriate. They can however be over-done and resulting in taking away of microbes that protect against more dangerous microbes. Too thorough cleaning of te skin and body parts can also cause allergy and teke away protective shields in form of fatty substances and vaxes that the body itself produces.

The traditional approach to cure infections is by using antibiotica and other measures to kill the microbes. This approach is often appropriate by accute infections and allways by severe infections. It is not however allways the erst approach by less svere accute infections and chronic infections. The use of such drugs when they are not necessary can lead to emmergence of reistant strains of microbes.

By chronic and less severe infections natural drugs to improve the responce of the immune system is often the best approach. A healthy diet and otherways a healty life is also often effective.



THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INFLAMMTION AND INFECTION

The terms "inflammation" and "infection" are often mixed together both in daily language and professional talk, even though they are different concepts, so it is important to define the terms.

- Infection is the presence of and attack by foreign organisms.

- Inflammtion is the reaction of the body upon stimulation or attack ny specific factors. Very often these factors are foreign organisms, but can also be foreign chemical compuonds or even natural constituents of own body.

Inflammation comprizes all reactions by the immune system, all reactions with the purpose of letting the immune system get easy access to the factors, and all reactions to tidy up after the attack.

Most infections cause inflammation. And often an infection is just called inflammation even though this is illogical, since inflammation can also be caused otherwise.

When the body is attcked by foreign organisms or other foreign factors, inflammation is basically a befeficial and necessary process. Sometimes an inflammation occures when it should not or it is exagerated. In those cases the inflammtory reaction is harmful or dangerous. This occurs for example by allergy or by auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.



ABOUT ORGANISMS CAUSING INFECTIONS

There are several types of organisms that cause infections. There is however a gliding distinction between those organisms that are called parasites or parasitic, and those called infectious agents. Organisms of macroscopic size are usually called parasites, while those of microscopic or minute size are called infectious agents. There is however still a tendency to call an invation of visible harmeful organisms an infection, allthough the organism itself is called a parasite.

Bacterium (plural bacteria): A bacterium is usually a small monocellular organism that can have various shapes, like small balls, small rods, small scrues or sometimes branched. The inside of a bacterium is very simple. It lacks cell kernal and other cellular organelles, but has all the types of working molecular structures found in higher organisms, like the genetic molecules DNA and RNA. Some bacteria can move by means of rotating therad-like structures called cilia, others are passively carried around.

Some bacteria can grow to be long branched treads just like the mycelium of a fungus. Those types of bacteria have many copies of the genetic molecules along the inside of the thread. A well-known branch of this type of bacteria are the so-called actinomycetes.

Virus (plural vira): A virus is not a living organsism in the strictest sense. It consists of a genetic molecule, DNA or RNA, and a shield of protein around this. It can intrude into cells by means of functions of its proteins that have enzymatic capabilities and capabilities of hooking to the cell surface or by luring the cell to actively bring it inside itself. There it dissolves, but commands the cell to make new viral DNAs or RNAs, make new viral protein sand assamble new viral particles. Evenetually the new viral units are released to infect new cells.

Fungus (plural fungi): A fungus is a unicellular or multicellular organism with a complicated cell structure with real kernels and other organelles inside. A fungus usually grow as branched thread-like shapes. A fungus spreads by means of small very robust cells called spores that grow to new fungus organsims when infecting a new site. A fungus do not have active movement capabilities, but spread inside the tissue by shooting new branches.

Protozoa: Protozoa are small unicellular organsims with a high capability for movement and with a complexly developed cell structure. It move by menas of threadlike structures like cilia and flagelles and by movement of the cell body itself. Protozoa behave in many ways as animals and are therefore traditionally called unicellular animals.

Higher multicellular organsims can also intrude into the body of humans and animals, like worms of many types, mites, tics and small insects. An invation by such organisms are usually called parassitism, but the term infection is also sometimes used.



ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL POISONS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES

Poisenous substances in the biosphere is one of the most serious global threats nowadays. There is much talk anout the level of CO2, and the increasing level of this substance is allarming. CO2 is however not a poison, even though it threatens the physical conditions on earth. There is also much talk about the reduction of the ozone layer caused by chemicals released into the atmosphere and the increased exposure to ultraviolet light caused by this reduction. This is also an allarming effect, but is still not a toxic effect in the strict sense.

Real poisons get less attention, even though the threat from these are as serious as the threat from CO2, or perhaps more serious. Here are a survey of the worst threatening poisons in the biosphere producerd by human activity.


Mercury

Mercury is produced by a lot industrial sectors, it is used in the production process of many goods, and leak into the soil, the lakes, the rivers and the oceans. The gretest source of mercury pollution is however the burning of coal and garbage. Mercury is comming into the environment by these processes:

Coal burning in electric power plants.

Production of chlorine, steal and gold.

Melting of metals.

By the production and repair of meteorological instruments and other measure instruments.

By burning of garbage.

Medical applications, for example production and use of vaxines.

By dentistry works.

By production of cosmetic products.

By laboratory works of various kinds.

Mercury compounds are taken up by plants and smaller organisms and is accumulated up in the nutritional chain, so that fish and other food sources from many areas contain allarming concentrations of mercury.

The Asian industry is the worst producer of this poison and many Asian territories are worst polluted by mercury. The European industries has managed to control the mercury outlet to a great extend, but the increase of mercury outlet from Asian industries is greater than the reduction in Europe.

Mercury is a metal that is liquid by room temperatur. The metal itself and unsolvable compounds of mercury are not poisonous, but all dissolvable or gasseous compounds of the element are very potent poisons, for example mercury cloride, mercury-methyl and mercury -oxide.

Metallic mercury let into the nature also easily undergo chemical reactions producing poisonous compounds.

Mercury poison can come from the environment or from mercury let out from amalgam fillings in the teeth.

Poison by mercury compounds give very complex and variable effects.

Many people experience nervous disturbances, and these can further effect psychological symptoms, disturbance of the senses and disturbance in the controle of any body process.

Many persons get problems with the immunes system, for example allergic reactions and auto-immune reactions.

Many experience rheumatic problems, especially problems in the connective tissues. Such problems are often connected with the problems in the immunes system that causes auto-immune attacks on connective tissue structures.

Mercury poison can also cause disturbances in the heart and circulatory system.


Polychlorinated Dioxins /PCDDs

The basic structure of PCDDs, commonly called just dioxins, is two benzene rings joined by two oxygen atoms, and at any place in the benzene rings, there can be a chlorine atom.

Dioxins are produced during incomplete burning of organic material in the precense of chlorine. The amount produced is very small, but the strength of these poisons stll make their presence to a big health problems. Dioxins are among very strongest toxins known. An amount so small that is nearly undetectable without advanced measurements can kill a person (50 millonth of a gram/micrograms).

Diocines accumulate in the Zioxines are very stable compunds that accumulate in the food chain. They dissolve into the fatty tissues of humans and animals, and because of their stability they are very difficult to remove again.

Dioxines have a very varied effect upon the health. They do not only produce functional disturbances, but destroys tissues, especially the tissues of the skin, livar stomach and the nerval system. Skin destruction or skin problems is often a very visible sign of dioxine poisoning.

Dioxines are potent inducers of cancer. They have a strong tendency to alter the genetic code and thereby cause congenital disorders.



The dioxine molecule (Picture from wikipedia.org that is free to copy)


Polychlorated and polybromated cyclic hydrocarbons

This is a various group of substances. The molecules contain rings of carbon atoms linked together, hydrogen and many halogen atoms, mostly chlorine and bromine. These compounds are very stable. Therefore they are used in a variety of technical applications, for example as isolating fluids in electric components or as flame stoppers in buildings, furniture or clothes. When products containing these compounds are thrown away as garbage or burned, thes substances are not broken down, but released into the environment. They accunulate in plants and animal fatty, and in highest concentration in fatty tissue of higher animals.

Polychlorated biphenyls are the best known of these compounds. The moøecules of these substances contain two benzene rings linked together, two hydoxyl groups and a variety of chlorine atoms attatched at the benzene rings.

Polychlorinated bipheny (PCB)l is an example of these compounds. Its molecules consist of two benzene rings linked together, two hydroxyle groups and chlorine atoms attaches to the rings. The compound is an isolating and very stable liquid and it was formerly used very much in electotrchnical components both for isolation and as a cooling fluid.

After its toxic propertiesd was discovered and it was discovered that it accumulted in nature and in the food chain, th euse of it has been discontinued in most places, but still it is found in a great amount in the nature and in soil.

Polybromated flame indererers are another group of halogenated cyclic hydrocarbonms. They are extensively used in building materials, clothes and furniture to hinder fire, and are as such useful. When these materials are disposed or burned, the compunds are not easily destroyd. They are let into the environment instead, and cause negative health effect as well as distrubances in the nature.

Halogenated cyclic hydrocarbons have a tendency to create skin diseases, for example a special type of acne, and cause liver damage. They also have a tendency to cause reproductive problems, for example law fertility and feminization in men. They also tend to cause cancer, especially liver cancer.