№ 12Infectious Diseases13 min read
Leptospirosis, brucellosis, cholera
1. Big picture
These are zoonotic and water/food-borne infections that often appear in exam cases as “fever after exposure” or “severe diarrhea after contaminated water.”
| Disease | Core exam pattern |
|---|---|
| Leptospirosis | Fever + severe calf/lumbar myalgia + conjunctival suffusion after freshwater/animal urine exposure; severe form = Weil disease |
| Brucellosis | Prolonged undulating fever + night sweats + arthralgia/back pain after unpasteurized dairy/livestock exposure |
| Cholera | Sudden profuse “rice-water” diarrhea + severe dehydration after contaminated water/food; toxin-mediated, usually no fever |
Think clinically:
Leptospirosis kills by kidney/liver/pulmonary hemorrhage. Brucellosis becomes chronic/relapsing and attacks bones, joints, spine, testes, CNS, and heart valves. Cholera kills by dehydration — not invasion.
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