A disease or medical condition is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and Medical signs.... process, generally either infectious
Infectious disease
An infectious disease is a clinically evident disease resulting from the presence of pathogenic microbial agents, including pathogenic viruses, pathogenic bacteria, Mycosis, protozoa, multicellular parasites, and aberrant proteins known as prions.... or neoplastic, but sometimes also referring to connective tissue disease
Connective tissue disease
A connective tissue disease is any disease that has the connective tissues of the body as a target of pathology. Connective tissue is any type of biological tissue with an extensive extracellular matrix that supports, binds together, and protects organ s.... .
A disseminated infection, for example, is one that has extended beyond its origin or nidus
Nidus
Nidus may refer to:* Nest, for insects or small animals* Locus of infection, the point on the body where a pathogen enters* The centre of a Bladder stone ... and involved the bloodstream to "seed" other areas of the body. Similarly, metastatic cancer can be viewed as a disseminated infection in that it has extended into the bloodstream or the lymphatic system
Lymphatic system
The lymphatic system in vertebrates is a network of conduits that carry a clear fluid called lymph. It also includes the lymphoid tissue through which the lymph travels.... to "seed" distant sites (known as metastasis
Metastasis
Metastasis , or Metastatic disease, sometimes abbreviated mets, is the spread of a disease from one Organ or part to another non-adjacent organ or part.... ).
Disseminated disease is often referred to in contrast to localized disease
Localized disease
A localized disease is an infectious or neoplastic process that is confined to one organ system or general area in the body. For example, a pneumonia is generally confined to one or both lungs but can become disseminated through sepsis, in which the microbe responsible for the pneumonia "seeds" the bloodstream or lymphatic system and is trans... .
