Pathognomonic Signs of Communicable

Pathognomonic
Diseases
Posted in November 1st, 2008
 by jeanette
 by jeanette in Health & Nutrition

Pathognomonic is a sign or symptom that is so characteristic of a disease that it makes the

diagnosis. Pathognomonic (pronounced patho-no-monic)
pat ho-no-monic) comes from the Greek 
³pathognomonikos´ meaning ³skilled in judging diseases.´ As it is very important to know how
to assess characteristic manifestations of some communicable diseases at an early stage, here are
the pathognomonic signs and symptoms
sympto ms of some common communicable diseases.

y AIDS ² opportunistic and malignant manifestations, T4 below 200/d l. (Opportunistic

(Opportunistic
infection - infection that occurs because of o f a weakened immune system. Oppo rtunistic
rtunistic
infections are a particular danger for people with AIDS. The HIV virus itself does not
cause death, but the
t he opportunistic infections that occur because of its effect on the
immune system can.)
y Amoebiasis ² bloody mucoid stool.
y Ascariasis ² vomiting, passing out of worm.
y Candidiasis ² cheeselike discharge.
y Chicken pox ² vesiculopopular lesions.
lesions.
y Cholera ² rice-watery stool.
y Dengue/Hemorrhagic Fever ² Herman¶s sign. It appears on the upper and lower 
extremities, purplish or violaceous red with blanched areas about 1 cm or less in size.
y Diptheria ² pseudomembrane, a localized inflammatory process; Grayish-white,
leathery consistency.
y Enterobiasis ² nocturnal itchiness.
y Filariasis - Elephantiasis.
y German Measles/Rubella ² Forscheimer¶s spots, a mild enanthem of petechial lesions.
y Gonorrhea ² thick purulent discharge.
y Herpes Zoster ² lesions follow peripheral nerve pathway.
y Leptospirosis ² orange eyes.
y Malaria ² fever and chills.
y Measles/Rubeola ² Koplik¶s spots, little spots inside the mouth. The spots look like a
tiny grains of white sand, each surrounded by a red ring. They are found especially on the
inside of the cheek (the buccal mucosa) opposite the 1st and 2nd upper molars.
y Meningitis ² nucchal rigidity.
r igidity.
y Mumps ² swollen parotid
parot id glands.
y Pertussis ² paroxysmal coughs ending with whoop.
y Pneumonia ² rusty sputum.
y Polio ² flaccid paralysis, weakness or paralysi
p aralysiss and reduced muscle tone without other 
obvious cause (e.g., t rauma).
y Rabies ² hydrophobia, a morbid fear of water. Because of this name, many people think 
that rabies makes one afraid of o f water. In fact, this is not the case (although rabies do es
 cause mental confusion of other kinds). The name hydrophobia comes from the fact that
animals and people with rabies get spasms in their throat muscles that are so painful that
they cannot eat or drink, and so will refuse water in spite of being very thirsty.
y Scabies ² weeping itch.
y Scarlet Fever ² raspberry tongue.
y Syphilis ² painless chancre or ulceration.
y Tetanus ² locked jaw or trismus.
y Tuberculosis ² initially ASYMPTOMATIC.
y Typhoid Fever ² 3 cardinal signs: ladderlike fever, rose spots, spleenomegaly
(enlargement of spleen beyond its normal size).