Tinea cruris is a fungal infection that is referred to as “jock itch” because it affects males only, causing red, flat, spreading lesions in the groin region.

Certain fungi, called dermatophytes, cause jock itch. These fungi live only on dead body tissues, such as our hair, the outer layer of skin, and our nails. The fungi responsible for jock itch are Microsporum cam’s, Trichophyton, and Read the rest of this entry »

Japanese Encephalitis

In 1981, an American student living in Beijing, China, died from Japanese encephalitis. Because of the efforts of the victim’s family, the vaccine, long available in Asia, was licensed in December 1992 for use in the United States by American travelers.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is found in rural areas of China and Korea, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Japan, Eastern Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. At least 50,000 people are infected in these areas every year. It is the leading cause of viral encephalitis in Asia.

JE virus is a zoonosis, a disease that primarily infects animals but occasionally will infect humans, in a group of viruses Read the rest of this entry »