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boneset

(Encyclopedia)boneset thûrˈəwûrtˌ, –wôrtˌ [key], perennial North American herb (Eupatorium perfoliatum) of the family Asteraceae (aster family), having terminal clusters of small, chiefly white blossoms. N...

tick

(Encyclopedia)tick, small, parasitic arachnid of the order Ixodida, closely related to the mites. Ticks, which are larger than the often microscopic mites, are all parasitic in at least one developmental stage; mos...

food poisoning

(Encyclopedia)food poisoning, acute illness following the eating of foods contaminated by bacteria, bacterial toxins, natural poisons, or harmful chemical substances. It was once customary to classify all such illn...

nephritis

(Encyclopedia)nephritis nəfrīˈtəs [key], inflammation of the kidney. The earliest finding is within the renal capillaries (glomeruli); interstitial edema is typically followed by interstitial infiltration of ly...

MERS

(Encyclopedia)MERS or Middle East respiratory syndrome, relatively rare viral disease caused by MERS-CoV, a coronavirus. Although some infected persons have no or only coldlike symptoms, in most known cases of MERS...

rotavirus

(Encyclopedia)rotavirus, double-stranded RNA virus, genus Rotavirus, with a wheellike appearance that can cause severe watery diarrhea and vomiting, sometimes leading to severe dehydration and death. The virus is t...

tetracycline

(Encyclopedia)tetracycline tĕˌtrəsīˈklēn [key], any of a group of antibiotics produced by bacteria of the genus Streptomyces. Effective against a wide range of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, tetrac...

toxin

(Encyclopedia)toxin, poison produced by living organisms. Toxins are classified as either exotoxins or endotoxins. Exotoxins are a diverse group of soluble proteins released into the surrounding tissue by living ba...

chlamydia

(Encyclopedia)chlamydia kləmĭdˈēə [key], genus of microorganisms that cause a variety of diseases in humans and other animals. Psittacosis, or parrot fever, caused by the species Chlamydia psittaci, is transmi...

coccidioidomycosis

(Encyclopedia)coccidioidomycosis kŏksĭdˌēoiˌdōmīkōˈsĭs [key], systemic fungus disease (see fungal infection) endemic to arid regions of the Americas, contracted by inhaling dust containing spores of the f...