Anthrax Glossary of Terms

Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Abdominal pain: Pain in the belly. Abdominal pain can be acute or chronic. It may reflect ...

Anthrax: A serious bacterial infection caused by Bacillus anthracis that occurs primarily ...

Arms: An appendage in anatomy and in clinical trials. See: Arm.

Bacillus: A large family of bacteria that are rod-like in shape. They include the bacteria...

Bacillus anthracis: The bacterium that causes anthrax. Anthrax differs from most bacteria ...

Bacteria: Single-celled microorganisms that can exist either as independent (free-living) ...

Bioterrorism: Terrorism using biologic agents that are harmful to humans. Biological disea...

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

CDC: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US agency charged with tracking a...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The US agency charged with tracking and invest...

Chest: The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains t...

Chest pain: Pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina, heart...

Complication: In medicine, an unanticipated problem that arises following, and is a result...

Consultant: An individual to whom one refers for expert advice or services. The use of con...

Cough: A rapid expulsion of air from the lungs, typically in order to clear the lung airwa...

CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a...

Cure: 1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. 2. A time withou...

Cutaneous: Related to the skin.

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Diarrhea: A common condition that involves unusually frequent and liquid bowel movements. ...

Doxycycline: Brand name: Vibramycin. A synthetic broad-spectrum antibiotic derived from te...

Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degr...

Gastrointestinal: Adjective referring collectively to the stomach and small and large inte...

genesis: A suffix referring to the beginning, development, or production of something. For...

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Heart attack: The death of heart muscle due to the loss of blood supply. The loss of bloo...

Hygiene: The science of preventive medicine and the preservation of health. Also commonly ...

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Lesion: An area of abnormal tissue change. Lesions vary in severity from harmless to serio...

Lethal: Deadly.

Liver: The largest solid organ in the body, situated in the upper part of the abdomen on t...

Lumbar: Referring to the five lumbar vertebrae, the disks below them, and the correspondin...

Lumbar puncture: A procedure in which cerebrospinal fluid is removed from the spinal canal...

Lungs: The lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon...

Malignant: 1. Tending to be severe and become progressively worse, as in malignant ...

Meningitis: Inflammation of the meninges, the three membranes that envelop the brain and t...

Microscope: An optical instrument that augments the power of the eye to see small objects....

Microscopic: So small it cannot be seen without the aid of microscope. As opposed to macro...

Mouth: 1. The upper opening of the digestive tract, beginning with the lips and con...

MPH: Master of public health, a degree designating successful training in analyzing past, ...

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

Neck: The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders. Also, any narrow or constric...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Penicillin: The most famous of all antibiotics, named for the fungal mold Penicillium n...

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Plague: The plague is an infectious disease due to a bacteria called Yersinia pestis.

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Public health: The approach to medicine that is concerned with the health of the community...

Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

Pustule: A pustule is a small collection of pus in the top layer of skin (epidermis) or be...

Red blood cells: The blood cells that carry oxygen. Red cells contain hemoglobin and it is...

Respiratory: Having to do with respiration.

Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of...

Shock: In medicine, a critical condition that is brought on by a sudden drop in blood flow...

Shortness of breath: Difficulty in breathing. Medically referred to as dyspnea. Shortness ...

Sore: 1. (adjective) A popular term for painful, such as a sore throat. 2. (...

Sore throat: Pain in the throat. Sore throat may be caused by many different causes, inclu...

Spinal tap: Also known as a lumbar puncture or "LP", a spinal tap is a procedure whereby ...

Spleen: An organ that is located in the upper-left part of the abdomen, not far from the s...

Surgeon: A physician who treats disease, injury, or deformity via operative or manual meth...

Surgeon General: In the United States, the chief medical officer of the U.S. Public Health...

Sweating: The act of secreting fluid from the skin by the sweat (sudoriferous) glands. The...

Throat: The throat is the anterior (front) portion of the neck beginning at the back of th...

Tiredness: See: Tired.

Toxin: A poison produced by certain animals, plants, or bacteria.

Trimox: See: Amoxicillin.

Ulcer: A lesion that is eroding away the skin or mucous membrane. Ulcers can have various ...

Vibramycin: Brand name for doxycycline.

Vomit: Matter from the stomach that has come up into and may be ejected beyond the mouth, ...

X-ray: High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-ray is used...