Tuberculosis : Definition:
It is a chronic granulomatous infection caused by the bacterium mycobacterium tuberculae
Pathogenesis:
It is a chronic granulomatous infection caused mainly by the inhalation of tubercular bacilli. The bacilli enters the lungs and get deposited on the upper lobe of the lungs there it forms a primary complex. Once this complex is formed the disease spread through the lymphatic vessel to the adjacent organs or locally.
Drugs:
First line drugs: Isoniazid, Rifampicin, ethambutol and Pyrizanamide
Second line drugs: Aminoglycosides like Amikacin, kanamycin.
Polypeptides like capreomycin.
Fluoroquinolones like ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin
Thioamides like ethionamide, prothionamide
Cycloserine
Para aminosalicylic acid
Third line drugs : Rifabutin
Macrolides like clarythromycin
Linezolid
Thioacetazone
Vitamin D
Thioridazine
Leprosy : Leprosy is a disease that has been known since biblical times. It causes skin sores, nerve damage, and muscle weakness that gets worse over time. Leprosy is a disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae, which causes damage to the skin and the peripheral nervous system. The disease develops slowly (from six months to 40 years!) and results in skin lesions and deformities, most often affecting the cooler places on the body (for example, eyes, nose, earlobes, hands, feet, and testicles). The skin lesions and deformities can be very disfiguring and are the reason that infected individuals historically were considered outcasts in many cultures. Although human-to-human transmission is the primary source of infection, three other species can carry and (rarely) transfer M. leprae to humans: chimpanzees, mangabey monkeys, and nine-banded armadillos. The disease is termed a chronic granulomatous disease, similar to tuberculosis, because it produces inflammatory nodules (granulomas) in the skin and nerves over time.
Cause
• Leprosy is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. It is not very contagious and it has a long incubation period (time before symptoms appear), which makes it hard to know where or when someone caught the disease. Children are more likely than adults to get the disease.
• Leprosy has two common forms: tuberculoid and lepromatous. Both forms produce sores on the skin. However, the lepromatous form is most severe. It causes large lumps and bumps (nodules).
Symptoms
Symptoms include:
• Skin lesions that are lighter than your normal skin color
o Lesions have decreased sensation to touch, heat, or pain
o Lesions do not heal after several weeks to months
• Muscle weakness
• Numbness or lack of feeling in the hands, arms, feet, and legs
Treatment
• A number of different antibiotics (including dapsone, rifampin, clofazamine, fluoroquinolones, macrolides, and minocycline) are used to kill the bacteria that cause the disease. More than one antibiotic is often given together.
• Aspirin, prednisone, or thalidomide is used to control inflammation.