Blood and Lymphatic Infections

The blood and lymphatic systems lie deep within the body and are considered to be sterile. Fluids in both systems circulate throughout the body where they intimately come in contact with vital tissues and organs. However, both the systems at some point of time can function as a vehicle for spreading infection. Infection of the blood and lymphatic system can have devastating effects because infectious agents become “systemic” since they can be carried to all parts of the body and may lead to disease in one or more vital organs. Predominant bacterial infections of the blood vascular system include bacterial endocarditis, septicaemia. Diseases involving lymph nodes like tularaemia, brucellosis and plague are caused by bacteria, whereas viral infections lead to Burkitt’s lymphoma, mononucleosis, HIV, Chikungunya, dengue, Ebola. Protozoal diseases of blood and lymphatic system are Chagas disease, toxoplasmosis, malaria, leishmaniasis, babesiosis, schistosomiasis, and filariasis.