Chronic pulmonary infections are treatable, especially when diagnosed early. Specific infections that are common in central Ohio include: Histoplasmosis: a fungus that lives in the soil and is associated with bird droppings. Histoplasmosis can not be passed person to person. It can cause either an acute or chronic pneumonia. It is treatable and is often diagnosed by a blood or urine test.
Genes. A gene is a length of DNA that codes for a specific protein. So, for example, one gene will code for the protein insulin, which is important role in helping your body to control the amount of sugar in your blood. Genes are the basic unit of genetics. Human beings have 20,000 to 25,000 genes. These genes account for only about 3 per cent of our DNA.
Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes: one set from mom and the other from dad. Spread among these chromosomes are around 20,000 genes (think 23 lists of millions of letters, with about 20,000 words in amongst the random letters). The entire set of ~20,000 genes is called the genome. So, chromosomes are made of DNA and proteins. Genes are stretches of DNA that contain code to make proteins. DNA is a molecule made up of a sequence of nucleotides.