Bacterial infection

A disease caused by bacteria entering a host and multiplying or provoking harmful effects. Its course depends on bacterial traits, host defenses, and the site of infection.

Pathogenesis: The biological process by which an infectious agent causes disease in a host. Bacterial infection is one form of pathogenesis, shaped by both microbial actions and host responses.
Bacterial culture: A laboratory method that grows microorganisms from a specimen to identify them or test their susceptibility. Culture can identify the cause and guide targeted treatment when a suitable sample is available.
Viral infection: A disease caused by viruses entering host cells and using them to replicate. Viral and bacterial infections can look alike but differ in causes and treatment.
Bacteria: Single-celled prokaryotic organisms that lack a membrane-bound nucleus. Bacteria are the organisms responsible for this class of infection.
Tuberculosis: An infectious disease usually caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, most often affecting the lungs. It illustrates a chronic bacterial infection that can persist and spread through the air.
Bacterial virulence: The degree to which a bacterium can cause disease, influenced by traits that aid infection or damage. Virulence traits determine whether bacterial presence progresses to illness and how severe it becomes.
Antibiotic susceptibility testing: Laboratory testing that measures whether microorganisms are inhibited by particular antimicrobial drugs. Results can reveal which antibiotics are likely to work against an infection's isolate.
Fungal infection: A disease caused by fungi growing in or on a host. Fungi are a distinct microbial cause of disease, not bacteria.
Microbiome: The community of microorganisms and their collective genetic material in a defined environment. Resident microbial communities can resist pathogens or, when disrupted, alter infection risk.
Cholera: An acute intestinal disease caused by toxin-producing Vibrio cholerae. It shows how a bacterial toxin can cause severe fluid loss without invading the bloodstream.

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