Q-With all the types of colds you mention in your column, you have yet to mention one we heard about the other day. It's called Zoo Noses and it's caused by animals. Perhaps this is something you would like to warn your readers about.
A-Zoonoses have nothing to do with either noses or colds but is the name given to those diseases that are transmitted from animals to people under normal conditions.
More than 150 such diseases have been identified worldwide, and as many as 40 may pose health threats to U.S. farmers and other workers who regularly come in contact with animals.
Probably the best known is rabies, caused by a virus that may be present in dogs, squirrels, skunks, foxes and other wild animals. It causes muscle spasms, fever, swollen glands and hydrophobia. It is passed on in the saliva of the infected animal when a victim is bitten.
Another well-known disease in this classification is anthrax, or wool sorter's disease. It is caused by a bacteria found in cows, goats, horses and pigs and can be transmitted by contact to the skin or inhaling spores. It may attack the skin, lungs or gastrointestinal tract of its victims.
This is an important classification of infectious diseases, but one that is seldom written about, except here for you.
Q-When my son began to tire easily and complained about a sore throat, we took him to a doctor. The diagnosis was infectious mononucleosis, and the doctor told us our son had a large spleen and recommended restricted activity and rest. But to the best of my knowledge, no X-ray was ever taken. How did the doctor know the spleen was large or is this just a routine comment that goes along with the diagnosis? Can you help?
A-No, it isn't a routine comment to patients with infectious mononucleosis, as not everyone with this viral infection develops a large spleen. In fact, only about half of the patients infected with the Epstein Barr virus develop an enlarged spleen, although all are put on restricted activity.
Your doctor probably discovered the spleen condition using two traditional physical examination techniques: Percussion and palpation. By tapping on the skin over the spleen (percussion), the physician hears a flat or dull tone that signifies a mass lying just beneath the surface. Carefully pressing down into that area with finger tips (palpation) can often reveal the presence of this mass. It is easy to do, very cost-effective and should form a part of every examination when an enlarged spleen is suspected.
Write to Dr. Bruckheim in care of the Chicago Tribune, Room 400, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611.