Fever, muscle aches, nausea or diarrhea are the most common symptoms, but the infection can spread to the nervous system, causing headaches, a stiff neck and convulsions. About 2,500 people become seriously ill in the United States each year from listeria and about 500 die.
Confidence votes 40.5K. The symptoms are your body's way of reacting to a disease. It is often said that pathogens are the same as germs and cause only infectious disease, however, the word can mean the agent that causes any type of disease.iseases caused by pathogens are often contagious and include things such as Meningitis, Influenza and Tuberculosis. Diseases not caused by pathogens are generally things wh â¦ ich go wrong in the body. For example, Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis and Motor Neurone Disease are all diseases not caused by pathogens.
Causes. Infectious diseases can be caused by: Bacteria. These one-cell organisms are responsible for illnesses such as strep throat, urinary tract infections and tuberculosis. Viruses. Even smaller than bacteria, viruses cause a multitude of diseases â ranging from the common cold to AIDS. Fungi. Many skin diseases, such as ringworm and athlete's foot, are caused by fungi. Other types of fungi can infect your lungs or nervous system. Parasites. Malaria is caused by a tiny parasite that is transmitted by a mosquito bite.