Infectious diseases are important to be aware of when caring for a patient, especially as a dental hygienist as hygienist are at a high risk of contracting diseases from their patients.  One of the more common disease is the common cold, which is the infectious disease I have choose to researched on.  More information on which viruses causes the common cold and how to distinguish a common cold from the flu based on the symptoms can be found in the link below.

Microbiology-The Common Cold