Pathogen: Human rhinovirus
Rhinovirus
Category of Pathogen: virus, more specifically, it is a +sense RNA virus
Name of disease caused by the pathogen: Common Cold a.k.a. Acute Viral Rhinopharyngitis or Acute Coryza.
Symptoms of infection: cough, sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, and sometimes muscle aches, fatigue, headache, muscle weakness, shivering, loss of appetite, and exhaustion.
Primary host: humans, specifically the nasal epithelium because the virus replicates most successfully in temperatures that are about 91 degrees Fahrenheit, just below body temperature.
Other host: N/A
Route of transmission: normally through the mucus from the nose or mouth. Aerosol route or direct contact with the infected person or contaminated surfaces.
Ro: not found.
Prevalence: the U.S. suffers 1 billion colds annually. Adults suffer on average 2-5 colds per year. Children suffer on average 6-10 colds per year. The virus peaks during late summer early fall and in the spring.
Generation time: 8-12 hours. The virus can adhere within 15 minutes of entering the respiratory tract.
Mortality Rate: Deaths from common cold are slim in the U.S. and usually in immunodeficient individuals.
Morbidity Rate: see Prevalence. Rhinoviruses live up to 3 hours outside the body.
Is it preventable?: Yes, thorough handwashing with soap for at least 20 seconds, using a tissue to cover mouth when coughing or sneezing, not rubbing the eyes, nose or mouth when contacted with infection, disinfecting surfaces, building a stronger immune system(ie. Vitamin D).
Does the disease trigger long lasting immunity?: It is impossible, because there are too many different viruses that cause the common cold. The virus that caused the cold this time may be slightly different than the last virus.
History: The common cold was named in the 16th century, because the symptoms were similar to those of exposure to cold weather. In the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin thought that the common cold was passed between people through the air.
What is the economic impact of the disease?: 22-189 million school days and 150 million workdays are lost each year. In the U.S., common cold leads to 75-100 million doctor visits per year, totalling $7.7 billion a year. U.S. spends $2.9 billion on over-the-counter drugs and $400 million on prescription medication for symptomatic relief. Cold-related work loss exceeds $20 billion yearly.
Cool Facts: There are over 200 different viruses that can cause the common cold. Because the virus is an RNA virus and lacks DNA polymerases to fix the replication mistakes, rhinoviruses are highly mutable.
Citations:
Common cold. (2009, August 30). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:04, August 30, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_cold&oldid=310923030
http://pathmicro.med.sc.edu/virol/rhino.htm
http://disease.com/common-cold/cold-causes-symptoms-contagious
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/commonCold/overview.htm
http://www.utdol.net/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=~OQQz5XppheHWhb
http://virology-online.com/viruses/CORZA.htm
http://www.commoncold.bz/
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/common_cold_causes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinovirus
