This paper attempts to describe the description/origin, causes, control and prevention/treatment for

diseases such as; Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT), leprosy caused by Mycobacterium leprae, vibrio
cholera, bacilery dysentery, authracis bacilli, Treponema pallidum, salmonella typhili, Neisseria
ghonococco, streptococcus pyogens and staphylococcus aureus.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious, infectious disease, due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT) that has
always been a permanent challenge over the course of human history, because of its severe social
implications. It has been hypothesized that the genus Mycobacterium originated more than 150 million
years ago. In the Middle Ages, scrofula, a disease affecting cervical lymph nodes, was described as a
new clinical form of TB. The illness was known in England and France as "king's evil", and it was
widely believed that persons affected could heal after a royal touch. In 1720, for the first time, the
infectious origin of TB was conjectured by the English physician Benjamin Marten, while the first
successful remedy against TB was the introduction of the sanatorium cure. The famous scientist Robert
Koch was able to isolate the tubercle bacillus and presented this extraordinary result to the society of
Physiology in Berlin on 24 March 1882. In the decades following this discovery, the Pirquet and
Mantoux tuberculin skin tests, Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin BCG vaccine, Selman Waksman
streptomycin and other anti-tuberculous drugs were developed.

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. People who have TB disease in their
lungs can release tiny particles containing M. Tb into the air by coughing, sneezing, laughing or
singing. These particles are called air droplet nuclei. They are invisible to the naked eye. Droplet nuclei
can remain airborne in room air for many hours, until they are removed by natural or mechanical
ventilation. For TB to spread, there must be a person with TB disease who produces the TB bacilli (the
source), and another person who inhales the droplet nuclei containing the bacilli. Although TB is not
usually spread by brief contact, anyone who is in close proximity with an infectious person is at risk of
getting infected (CDC, 2005).

TB has always been associated with a high mortality rate over the centuries, and also nowadays, it is
estimated to be responsible for 1.4 million TB deaths, among infectious diseases after human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Due to its infectious nature, complex immunological response, chronic
progression and the need for long-term treatment, TB has always been a major health burden; in more
recent years, the appearance of multidrug resistant forms and the current TB-HIV epidemic, associated

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with its severe social implications, treating and preventing TB have represented a permanent challenge
over the course of human history (CDC, 2005).

As it is known that the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium causes TB. It is spread through the air
when a person with TB (whose lungs are affected) coughs, sneezes, spits, laughs, or talks. Chin (2000)
states that Mycobacterium tuberculosis is carried in airborne particles, called droplet nuclei, of 1– 5
microns in diameter. Infectious droplet nuclei are generated when persons who have pulmonary or
laryngeal TB disease cough, sneeze, shout, or sing. Depending on the environment, these tiny particles
can remain suspended in the air for several hours. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is transmitted through
the air, not by surface contact. Transmission occurs when a person inhales droplet nuclei containing
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and the droplet nuclei traverse the mouth or nasal passages, upper
respiratory tract, and bronchi to reach the alveoli of the lungs.

Therefore, a few general measures can be taken to prevent the spread of active TB. Avoiding other
people by not going to school or work, or sleeping in the same room as someone, will help to minimize
the risk of germs from reaching anyone else. Wearing a mask, covering the mouth, and ventilating
rooms can also limit the spread of bacteria. According to CDC (2000: 49), The most important and
effective way to prevent TB spreading in this country is to diagnose people with the disease as soon as
possible and make sure they have a full course of correct treatment. That is why it is so important to
know about the disease. Educating communities and patients to recognize symptoms of TB and to seek
health care should be routine in all settings providing care for patients. In addition, patients should be
taught how to protect themselves, and others, from exposure to TB.

Besides, environmental controls are the second line of defense for preventing the spread of TB in health
care settings. It is important to recognize that if work practice or administrative controls are inadequate,
environmental controls will not eliminate the risk. Many environmental control measures (like filtration
and ultraviolet irradiation) are technologically complex and expensive. In Zambia, Controlled natural
ventilation is the recommended control measure. It reduces the risk of spreading M. tuberculosis and
relies on open doors and windows to bring in air from the outside. ”Controlled” implies that checks are
in place to make sure that doors and windows are maintained in an open position that enhances
ventilation. Fans may also assist to distribute the air.

Furthermore, the deep origins of mycobacterial disease remain to be clearly defined. In contrast to
tuberculosis, which appears to stretch back hundreds of thousands of years, the earliest manifestations

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of human leprosy are found in skeletal remains only about 4000 years old. However, the older
participation of animal hosts cannot be ruled out, as it is increasingly evident that Pleistocene
megafauna may have had a major involvement in tuberculosis evolution. A possible ancestral organism
to the organisms that cause leprosy may have been more like modern Mycobacterium haemophilum, an
emerging pathogen with a variety of possible natural reservoirs (Han, 2014: 142).

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease (HD), is a chronic infectious disease caused by a
Mycobacterium (Mycobacterium leprae) affecting especially the skin and marginal nerves. It is
characterized by the formation of nodules or macules that enlarge and spread with loss of sensation and
eventually paralysis, wasting of muscle, and production of deformities called also Hansen’s disease.
This infection is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. It is
primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract,
skin lesions are the primary external sign. If left untreated, leprosy can be progressive, causing
permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes. Mycobacterium leprae, the main cause of
leprosy in humans, is a slow-growing intracellular Mycobacterium and the average incubation period of
the disease is about 5 years, although symptoms may occur within 1 year or up to 20 years after
infection (Kowalska, 2012: 63).

Leprosy mainly affects the skin, peripheral nerves, the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and the
eyes, as Mycobacterium leprae has a tropism for Schwann cells in nerves and macrophages in the skin.
The infection is transmitted by direct contact with untreated cases or healthy carriers or via infectious
aerosols. The clinical presentation of leprosy depends upon the cell-mediated immune response to
infection. If the host has an effective cell-mediated immune response, few lesions develop, and there
are only scanty bacilli in the tissues. However, some patients are anergic to Mycobacterium leprae, so
develop lepromatous leprosy with ineffective antibodies, a high bacterial load and multiple lesions.

Consequently, prevention of contact with droplets from nasal and other secretions from patients with
untreated Mycobacterium leprae infection is currently the most effective way to avoid the disease.
Treatment of patients with appropriate antibiotics stops the person from spreading the disease. People
who live with individuals who have untreated leprosy are about eight times as likely to develop the
disease, because investigators speculate that family members have close proximity to infectious
droplets (Han, 2008: 130). Leprosy is not hereditary, but recent findings suggest susceptibility to the
disease may have a genetic basis. Additionally, the BCG vaccine offers a variable amount of protection

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against leprosy in addition to tuberculosis. This vaccine appears to be about 25% effective with two
doses working better than one. Development of a more effective vaccine is still going on.

Moreover, Cholera is another infectious disease of micro-bacterium caused by a bacterium called

Vibrio cholerae. The bacteria typically live in waters that are somewhat salty and warm, such as
estuaries and waters along coastal areas. People contract Vibrio cholerae after drinking liquids or eating
foods contaminated with the bacteria, such as raw or undercooked shellfish. Although there are many
Vibrio cholerae serotypes that can produce cholera symptoms, the O groups O1 and O139, which also
produce a toxin, cause the most severe symptoms of cholera. O groups consist of different
lipopolysaccharides-protein structures on the surface of bacteria that are distinguished by
immunological techniques.

Cholera is a disease that occurs in regions of the world where sanitation and food and water hygiene are
inadequate or lacking. In circumstances where there is no clean water or adequate sewage disposal (as
may occur for example, after natural disasters or in displaced populations in war zones), cholera can
spread very quickly. The main areas of the world where cholera is currently prevalent are in Africa,
Asia, the Middle East, Peru and some countries of Central America. However, Cholera is transmitted
through the faecal-oral route, most commonly by consumption of contaminated water and to a lesser
degree food; direct person-to-person transmission is rare (Kelley, 2001). A high infecting dose (as
many as 1011 organisms) is required to cause illness in healthy individuals.

Usually, in healthy individuals cholera is asymptomatic or mild; in the latter, diarrhoea may be the only
symptom. Following a usual incubation period of 6 -72 hours, severe illness is heralded by a sudden
onset of profuse, watery diarrhoea accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Up to 20 litres of diarrhoea
can be passed in a 24 hour period, which if left untreated rapidly leads to serious dehydration and
circulatory collapse.

Therefore, prevention and control is needed to reduce the risk factor of Cholera. WHO (2002: 78)
pointed out that rapid fluid replacement with a balanced solution of sugar, electrolytes and water (oral
rehydration salts) should be initiated as a matter of urgency. This may be done orally, but in severe
cases may require intravenous administration. Cases may also be treated with antibiotics, usually a
tetracycline, if the organism is sensitive. Patients who are promptly treated should respond rapidly and
recover. Additionally, improve access to safe water; promote sanitation and hygiene and health
education on food safety.

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Chin (2000) recommends the use of Cholera Rapid Diagnostic Test for rapid detection of cholera cases
so as to quickly make a decision to manage the patients more closely if the Cholera Rapid Diagnostic
Test tests positive. A delay in decision making by the clinical team may lead to fatal outcome and
spread of infection to other community members. He further added that the use of antibiotics to
immediate contacts of cholera patients has been shown to be effective in preventing the spread of
infection to other members of the community. Also social mobilization before an outbreak is important
in preparing communities with messages on prevention and control.

Moreover, bacillary dysentery is caused by gram negative rod-shaped bacteria called Shigella. Four
species of the Genus Shigella, which are pathogens to both man and other primates, are named as
Shigella sonnei, Shigella flexneri, Shigella dysenteriae, and Shigella boydii. Shigella infects the large
and part of small intestine. The organism invades the cells lining of the bowel and multiplies there,
killing the cell; this is the cause of the symptoms produced (Bernard, 2006). The disease typically
begins with constitutional symptoms such as fever, anorexia and malaise, diarrhoea initially is watery,
but subsequently may contain blood and mucus. Tenesmus is a common complaint. It can last for four
to seven days. However, bacillary dysentery spreads both directly by hand to mouth transfer of
contaminated faecal matter and indirectly when individuals eat food, or drink water contaminated with
the bacteria. A very small amount of bacteria can cause the illness. People who have the bacteria,
without symptoms also can transmit the disease.

Prevention of dysentery caused by Shigella relies primarily on measures that prevent spread of the
organism within the community and from person to person. Treatment is symptomatic. In severe cases,
trimethoprim 200 mg twice daily or ciprofloxacin 500 mg twice daily are used. Public health measures,
particularly the disposal of excreta and the provision of potable water, prevent infection. Outbreaks in
schools can only be controlled by good hygiene (Bernard, 2006).

Other preventive and control measures include; wash hands well with soap and water after using the
toilet, and always before handling, duration preparation or eating foods. Drink boiled cool water.
People with shigellosis should not prepare food or pour drinks for others until they can prove they no
longer carry the Shigella bacteria. Wash hands after contact with infected individuals. Ensure proper
disposal of sewage. Protect public water supplies from faecal contamination. Consume uncontaminated
milk and milk product or pasteurized milk. Control flies and avoid contact with food. Take precautions
regarding food and water when travelling to the areas where inadequate sanitary facilities.

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Anthrax is another disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. This bacterium exists in nature
in 2 forms: as an active growing cell (called the vegetative form) or as a dormant spore. The spores are
very hardy and tolerant to extremes of temperature, humidity, and ultraviolet light. They can survive for
long periods of time (even decades) in the environment without nutrients or water. When a spore enters
a mammal host, the internal environment of the host rich in water, sugars, and amino acids induces that
spore to germinate into a vegetative cell that leads to disease (WHO, 2008). Humans may contract
anthrax following contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products or by breathing in
aerosolized spores. Anthrax is not transmitted from person to person.

Bacillus anthracis is derived from the Greek word for coal, anthrakis, because in its cutaneous form it
causes black, coal-like lesions. B anthracis is an aerobic, gram positive, endospore-forming Bacillus
species that is encapsulated, non-motile, and non-hemolytic. Anthrax endospores do not divide, are
metabolically inert, and are resistant to drying, heat, ultraviolet light, gamma radiation, and many
disinfectants (Green, 1989: 392-398). Anthrax spores germinate in the blood or tissues of animal or
human hosts rich in amino acids, nucleosides, and glucose. The vegetative bacilli, however, have poor
survival outside of an animal or human host, and will form spores when local nutrients are exhausted.
In some types of soil, anthrax spores can remain dormant for decades.

According to Mulenga et al. (1991: 399-403), Anthrax is a zoonotic disease that affects mainly large
domesticated animals and caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Man acquires the disease
accidentally through contact with infected animals or their products, often by the cutaneous route and
only rarely by the respiratory or gastrointestinal routes. Bacillus anthracis is on the top of the list of
agents used in biological weapons programs in many countries. Bacillus anthracis has been used for
more than 80 years as a biological weapon. During the 1st World War the Germans used B. anthracis to
infect livestock and contaminate animal feed to be exported to Allied forces (WHO, 2008). From 1932
to the end of the 2nd World War the Japanese experimented with Bacillus anthracis and other bacteria
agents on prisoners of war with an estimated death toll of 10,000 prisoners. United States, United
Kingdom and others also used Bacillus anthracis in their biological weapons programs during World
War II and afterwards.

Control of anthrax in animals is a pre-requisite for its control in humans. A living spore vaccine derived
from a non-capsulated strain of Bacillus anthracis (Sterne strain) is available for use in livestock. The
vaccine is administered to animals as a single dose with a yearly booster. Because anthrax is not passed

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from person to person, it is not necessary to take airborne or droplet precautions when in close
proximity to an infected individual, and there is no need to provide prophylaxis to close contacts of an
infected patient. Therefore, early antibiotic treatment of anthrax is vital, as delay decreases a victim’s
chance for survival.

Although ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, doxycycline, and penicillin are currently the only Drug and Food
Agency (FDA) -approved antibiotics for the treatment of anthrax, other antibiotics would be effective
as well (Ramsay, 2010: 15). In an emergency, public health authorities will make recommendations for
treatment based on laboratory susceptibility testing. A regimen containing ciprofloxacin, meropenem,
and linezolid is recommended as first line treatment until susceptibility information is available and the
possibility of meningitis has been excluded. Antibiotic therapy should be coupled with treatment with
raxibacumab, a monocolonal antibody that targets an anthrax antigen.

Education of the public is an important step in the fight against anthrax. Generally poor knowledge
about anthrax in a community and its healthcare providers may play a major role in the increase of
morbidity and mortality rates during outbreaks and epidemics. Also the use of folk and herbal medicine
can result in the increase of patients presenting with severe symptoms compared with those seeking
antibiotic treatment (Green, 1989). Public education campaign involving both veterinary and local
health personnel on the actual cause of and prevention of anthrax could reduce outbreaks of the disease
in people.

CONTINUE WHERE U ENDED

Typhoid is another bacterial infection that can lead to a high fever, diarrhea, and vomiting. It can be
fatal. It is caused by the bacteria Salmonella typhi. The infection is often passed on through
contaminated food and drinking water, and it is more prevalent in places where handwashing is less
frequent. It can also be passed on by carriers who do not know they carry the bacteria. During an acute
infection, Salmonella typhi multiplies in mononuclear phagocytic cells before being released into the
bloodstream. After ingestion in food or water, typhoid organisms pass through the pylorus and reach
the small intestine. They rapidly penetrate the mucosal epithelium via either micro fold cells or
enterocytes and arrive in the lamina propria, where they rapidly elicit an influx of macrophages that
ingest the bacilli but do not generally kill them. Some bacilli remain within macrophages of the small
intestinal lymphoid tissue (Gal-Mor, (2014: 391).

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Other typhoid bacilli are drained into mesenteric lymph nodes where there is further multiplication and
ingestion by macrophages. It is believed that typhoid bacilli reach the bloodstream principally by
lymph drainage from mesenteric nodes, after which they enter the thoracic duct and then the general
circulation. As a result of this silent primary bacteraemia the pathogen reaches an intracellular haven
within 24 hours after ingestion throughout the organs of the reticuloendothelial system (spleen, liver,
bone marrow, etc.), where it resides during the incubation period, usually of 8 to 14 days (House, 2001:
573 - 578). The incubation period in a particular individual depends on the quantity of inoculum, i.e. it
decreases as the quantity of inoculum increases, and on host factors. Incubation periods ranging from 3
days to more than 60 days have been reported. Clinical illness is accompanied by a fairly sustained but
low level of secondary bacteraemia (1 - 10 bacteria per ml of blood).

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that can cause a variety of illnesses through suppurative or non-
suppurative (toxin-mediated) means. Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of skin and skin
structure infections as well as osteoarticular infections in the human population. Staphylococcus aureus
is also identified in cases of septicemia, infective endocarditis, pneumonia, ocular infections, and
central nervous system infections. To design appropriate empirical therapy, physicians should be
knowledgeable about the disease caused by of Staphylococcus aureus in their communities, including
toxic shock syndrome, Staphylococcal food poisoning and etc.

Staphylococcal food poisoning is one of the most common foodborne illnesses as a result of the
presence of toxin in food and not due to infection. In other words, instead of being an infection, it is a
kind of poisoning; therefore, instead of direct effect of the organism on the individual, the illness is due
to the bacterial toxin in the food. The toxin produced is an enterotoxin, which is produced in about one-
third of Staphylococcus aureus strains. Staphylococcus enterotoxins are a family of nine major
serotypes of heat-resistant enterotoxins (A-E and G-J). Enterotoxins A and C are the major causes of
food poisoning.

Staphylococcus aureus is the cause of most cases of primary osteomyelitis. This disease is
predominantly occurring in boys under the age of 12, and is often followed by the diffusion of a
primary hemorrhage (ulcer or furuncle). The organism penetrates the diaphysis of long bones; this
feature is probably due to the fact that arterial blood flow in this area is the type of capillary rings. With
the progression of infection, the pus is accumulated and leaks into the bone surface; it lifts the bone

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crust and creates an abscess under the crust. Clinical complaints of acute osteomyelitis include fever
and chills, bone pain and muscle spasm around the affected area (Fitzgerald, 2014: 542–547).

Therefore, to control or prevent these diseases caused by Staphylococcus aureus, the

treatment/prevention of choice for Staphylococcus aureus infection is penicillin. An antibiotic derived
from some Penicillium fungal species, penicillin inhibits the formation of peptidoglycan cross-linkages
that provide the rigidity and strength in a bacterial cell wall. The four-membered β-lactam ring of
penicillin is bound to enzyme DD-transpeptidase, an enzyme that when functional, cross-links chains of
peptidoglycan that form bacterial cell walls. The binding of β-lactam to DD-transpeptidase inhibits the
enzyme's functionality and it can no longer catalyze the formation of the cross-links. As a result, cell
wall formation and degradation are imbalanced, thus resulting in cell death.

Lastly, Gonorrhea is an infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It not only affects the
reproductive tract, but can also affect the mucous membranes of the mouth, throat, eyes, and rectum.
The infection is transmitted through sexual contact with an infected person involving the penis, vagina,
anus, or mouth. Men do not need to ejaculate to transmit or acquire gonorrhea. Gonorrhea can also be
passed from an infected mother to her baby during delivery. Although all sexually active individuals
are at risk for acquiring gonorrhea, the highest rates of infection occur in teenagers, young adults, and
African-Americans.

However, there are many ways to prevent acquiring or passing on gonorrhea; they include: abstinence
from sex, using condoms for vaginal or anal intercourse, using condoms or dental dams for oral
intercourse, and having sexual activity with a mutually monogamous, unaffected partner. Individuals
should speak with their doctor if they or their sexual partner have been exposed to gonorrhea or if they
are experiencing any symptoms of infection.

In conclusion, there are many diseases that caused by micro-bacterium such as Mycobacterium
tuberculosis (MT), leprosy caused by Mycobacterium leprae, vibrio cholera, bacilery dysentery,
authracis bacilli, Treponema pallidum, salmonella typhili, Neisseria ghonococco, streptococcus
pyogens and staphylococcus aureus. And thses micro-bacterium affects an organism in different ways
as highled above. The success ofdisease intervention efforts are directly related to the availability of
adequate resources. The greatest impact on disease incidence is achieved when intervention personnel
are effectively mobilized before resistant strains become thoroughly "seeded" in the above diseases

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core areas. Therefore, people with symptoms related to one of these micro-bacteriums seek early
diagnosis and control/preventive measures in order to be at the safe side.

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infection". Infection, Genetics and Evolution. 21: 542–547

Green, D. M. (1989). Bacillus species: anthrax. In: Colle JG., Duguid JP., Fraser AG., and Marmion
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and Non- Typhoidal Salmonella Enterica Serovars Differ. Front Microbiol.

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