Flesh-eating bacteria” is a term mentioned in the media every now and then, usually in a very sensational way. Often, the media reports are related to a case of a person who got a limb amputated after a severe infection. Many of the reported cases are in persons who went to the beach in Florida. […]
What you think is a spider bite is most likely a Staph infection
Over the years I have had patients present with skin infections they swore were the result of a spider bite. I am often puzzled by these reports because I can never imagine how a spider would crawl all the way up a persons leg to reach the thigh before inflicting the bite. How can one […]
Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease – 10 questions with answers
My sweet little niece was sick recently with irritability, poor appetite, fever, and an impressive rash. It turned out she had Hand-Foot-and-Mouth (HFM) disease. Needless to say, my sister had a few questions for her ‘Infectious Diseases’ sister…of course. Following are 10 questions, with answers, about this infectious disease. 1 – What causes HFM disease? […]
Can you get “mono” more than once?
In my clinic we get a potpourri of referrals. Not infrequently, we have someone come in because they are concerned that they may be having a recurrent episode of infectious mononucleosis. In this post, I will go over the cause of infectious mononucleosis, the symptoms and signs, how it is diagnosed, and then answer the […]