Ebony is a 7-year-old child who didn’t feel well and was complaining of a sore t

Question

Ebony is a 7-year-old child who didn’t feel well and was complaining of a sore throat. By the next morning, Ebony had a bright red tongue and a rash across her chest. Her mom took her into the clinic and the doctor there found that the disease was caused by Gram-positive cocci arranged in chains.
(a) What infection does Ebony likely have? What bacteria cause this disease?
(b) Is this a primary infection, secondary infection, or nosocomial infection? Why? What was the reservoir for this microbe?
(c) Would this be classified as a communicable or a noncommunicable disease? Why? In which disease category would this disease fall: acute, chronic, subacute, or latent? Why?

Explanation / Answer

(a). Ebony likely to have Streptococcus pyogenes infection, based on the symptoms such as sore throat, bright red tongue and rash across the chest and based on the test it was found to be a gram positive cocci arranged in chains. It is caused by the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes.

(b). It is a nosocomial infection, since it is usually acquired from hospitals. The bacterium can spread to cattle and then back to humans through raw milk as well as through contaminated food sources (salads, milk, eggs).

(C). It can be classified as communicable disease, since untreated patients with streptococcal infection are infective during the acute phase of the illness, usually 7-10 days, and for one week afterwards; however, if antibiotics are used, the infective period is reduced to 24 hours. The bacterium can remain in the body in its carrier state without causing illness in the host for weeks or months and is transmissible in this state. Hence this disease would fall in acute communicable disease.

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