INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR NURSING STAFF REGARDING APPROACH TO A PATIENT WITH SPIDER PHOBIA AND/OR BITE.

Spider bites are uncommon medical events, since there are limited number of spiders world-wide with fangs strong enough to pierce human skin, and most spiders bite humans only as a final defense when being crushed between skin and another object. Thus, most lesions attributed to spider bites are caused by some other etiology. The spiders that can cause medically significant bites include widow and false widow spiders (worldwide), recluse spiders (mostly North and South America), Australian funnel web spiders (eastern coastal Australia) and Phoneutria spiders (Brazil). Acute spider bites most commonly result in a solitary papule, pustule, or wheal. Systemic symptoms can accompany envenomation of widow; funnel web, and Phoneutria spiders, and less often, those of recluse spiders.

OCCUPATIONAL, NOSOCOMIAL OR HOSPITAL ACQUIRED TOXOPLASMOSIS.

Toxoplasma gondii is protozoan parasite infects wild and domestic animals including birds, cats, sheep, goats, cattle, pigs and poultry. Cats are the definitive host of Toxoplasma and transmitted to other animals or people. There are three forms of T gondii: the tachyzoite (the rapidly reproducing form), the bradyzoite (a slower reproducing form contained in tissue cysts), and the sporozoite (contained in oocysts). The tachyzoite invade cells in the body where it thep multiplies rapidly and can destroy cells. When the cells die, the tachyzoites are released and infect other cells. For this reason, tachyzoites are seen in many tissues and organs throughout the body that are infected during this acute phase of the disease. This is also called the extraintestinal phase of the infection since it can affect all cells outside the intestines in all infected animals. However, only cats have the. intestinal phase of the infection. Two or three weeks after the first infection, the Toxoplasma divides more slowly and a protective membrane forms around the parasite cells. The cyst containing the parasites is called a zoitocyst and the cells inside the cyst are called bradyzoites. The tissue cysts are formed primarily in brain, eye, heart muscle, and skeletal muscle. Bradyzoites persist in tissues for many years, possibly for the life of the host. In cats, Toxoplasma infects the small intestine lining where they reproduce asexually. After a few days of rapid reproduction the cells transform into a sexual form, combine, and become enclosed in a cyst called an oocyst. Oocysts contain the sporozoite form of the Toxoplasma parasite. Gocysts are found in both wild and domestic cats but not in any other animals or birds.

PROTOZOA CAUSING FOOD POISONING.

Food poisoning also called foodbome illness, or illness caused by eating contaminated food is a term used to cover an unpleasant range of illnesses. Food poisoning symptoms vary with the source of contamination. Most types of food poisoning cause one or more of the following signs and symptoms: nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramps and fever Signs and symptoms may start within hours after eating the contaminated food, or they may begin days or even weeks later. Sickness caused by food poisoning generally lasts from a few hours to several days.