Diseases caused by organisms in humans are known as pathogenic diseases.

The word pathogen is

derived from a Greek word that means 'giving rise to suffering'. These diseases can be caused by a
number of agents like bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions, etc. All these pathogenic agents can lead to a
variety of diseases and conditions. In this article, we will concentrate on infectious diseases due to
bacteria.

How do Pathogenic Bacteria Cause Diseases?

There are many good bacteria that live on and within the human body systems. These good
bacteria help our immune system keep away pathogenic bacteria. Many people therefore, ask 'is a
bacterial infection contagious'? Bacteria are contagious and there are many pathogenic bacteria diseases
affecting humans all over the globe. When the immune system and the beneficial bacteria are affected
in some way, pathogenic bacteria can attack the body and cause diseases. In such cases, it is known as
opportunistic infection. Bacteria can cause food poisoning, tooth decay, anthrax, bacterial pneumonia
and many cause cancer in humans.

Where Do Pathogenic Bacteria Come from?

There are four main sources of pathogenic bacteria from where the bacteria gain entry in to the body
and cause infection. The main source of pathogenic bacteria is raw food such as meat, poultry, egg,
dairy products, rice, etc. The other sources of pathogenic bacteria are pests and pets. Pests like
cockroaches, rats, mice, etc. are carriers of bacteria. Pets that are infected with fleas and ticks also
cause diseases in humans due to flea or tick bites. The third source of pathogenic bacteria are people.
People can pass on infection by sharing food, utensils, clothes, even kissing and through infected body
fluid and respiratory droplets. The last source of these infectious diseases is through soil. Soil is rich
with pathogenic bacteria that can cause poisoning, infection and even gangrene. You can even find
pathogenic diseases causing bacteria in stagnant water under the coolers, sewage and uncovered water
tanks.

Pathogenesis of Disease
Pathogenesis of disease is the development of disease in the infected person. The initial appearance of
the disease till its end stage is known as the pathogenesis of diseases. It is very important to identify the
disease and treat it accordingly. The first step of the disease is the origin of the disease, the progressive
changes occurring in the body and the action of the disease on the body as it develops a hold on the
body. For example, when a child falls down while playing and develops a cut, the wound gets
colonized with Staphylococcus bacteria. The bacteria cause inflammation and as the bacteria grow, they
lead to a full-blown infection. This process of getting a wound till the development of infection is
known as pathogenesis. The study of pathogenesis of disease is very important for medical
professionals and scientists as it helps them understand the cause, the changes in the body,
epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

List of Diseases due to Pathogenic Bacteria

The following is a short list of diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria that infect human:
Food poisoning - Escherichia Coli
Strep throat - Streptococcus pyogenes
Tuberculosis - Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Legionnaire's disease -Legionella pneumoniae
Cholera - Vibrio cholera
Syphilis - Treponema pallidum
Gonorrhea - Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Anthrax - Bacillus anthracis
Leprosy - Mycobacterium leprae
Bubonic plague - Yersinia pestis
Tetanus - Clostridium tetani
Pneumonia - Streptococcus pneumoniae
Influenza - Haemophilus influenzae
Pneumonia - Klebsiella pneumoniae
Septicemia - Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Respiratory Tract Infections -Moraxella catarrhalis
Pneumonia - Chlamydophila pneumoniae
Walking Pneumonia -Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Pneumonia - Legionella pneumophila
Whooping Cough - Bordetella pertussis
Lyme Disease - Borrelia burgdorferi
Gas gangrene - Clostridium perfringens
Tularemia - Francisella tularensis
This is a short list of pathogenic diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria. Diseases can be prevented by
maintaining a healthy diet that helps keep a healthy body and immune system. Frequent washing of
hands and maintaining hygiene can also prevent diseases. This was a little information on diseases
caused by bacteria. There are many bacteria that can be our friends, but there is no telling when the
opportunistic bacteria strike and bring us down with a horrible infection.