ABSTRACT
The disease is endemic in most less developed countries. Infection is acquired via droplet inhalation or via direct contact with respiratory secretions or exudates from skin lesions. The initial clinical presentation depends on the anatomic location of the infection and diphtheric membrane. Clinical manifestations of tuberculous disease may occur 1–6 months after infection. A positive tuberculin skin test is suggestive of either infection in an asymptomatic individual, or disease in a symptomatic patient. In some trials, vaccination with bacillus Calmette–Guerin has been thought to reduce the risk of childhood infection and disseminated disease by up to 60%. Most infections involving lymph nodes, even if untreated, eventually resolve, although with disfiguring scarring. Cytomegalovirus infection is usually diagnosed by direct methods or by serology. Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is a rare and late complication of measles infection, occurring many years after primary infection. Herpes simplex virus infection of the neonate can be acquired during the intrauterine, intrapartum or postnatal period.
