V. A patient came into the office suffering from flu like symptoms, accompanied

Question

V. A patient came into the office suffering from flu like symptoms, accompanied by Fever, Abdominal pain, Back pain, Chills, Excessive sweating, Fatigue with joints pain. The fever has been an up and down fever. The patient said he had visited a farm a week ago and had drunk milk. He did not know if the milk or the yoghurt he had caused this.

1. What infection does he have? Name the causative agent.

2. How did he become infected with this microbe? Explain the pathogenesis of this disease. o He became infected with this microbe by drinking the milk he had from a farm a week ago.

3. Name another agent that also causes infection in pasteurized dairy products? What are the virulence factors for this pathogen? How would you treat it based on that?

4. What are the virulence factors for the pathogen? How would you treat it based on that? Why is it considered as a food borne illness yet there are no symptoms that indicating it is?

5. The patient does not have diarrhea, however how would the type of diarrhea assist in the identification of the disease a patient may have. Give at least 3 examples stating the agent its disease, type of diarrhea, virulence factors and treatment.

Explanation / Answer

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi which is transmitted between mammals by the black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis.

The most common early indication of Lyme disease in humans is a rash, followed by fever, flu-like symptoms, chills, headache and fatigue. Later symptoms may include joint pain, headache, facial paralysis, myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), and heart block. Most cases of Lyme disease can be successfully treated with antibiotics.

Dengue fever, Chikungunya fever, West Nile virus:

·         Arbovirus infections are the main cause of viral fevers in returned travellers, and tend to have short incubation periods, typically less than two weeks

·         Dengue fever is the most common arbovirus in travellers and is transmitted byAedes mosquitoes, which tend to be urban and to bite during the day. Symptoms are flu-like, with muscle pains and fever. Epidemics occur in Southeast Asia and large numbers of cases have been recorded in Southern Europe. Most cases are mild but second infections by a different serotype can be severe and lead to thrombocytopenia.

·         Chikungunya fever is increasingly common, and is very similar to dengue.

·         West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne infection in mainland USA and is found across all temperate and tropical regions of the world. Most cases are subclinical but it can cause fever, headaches, myalgia, vomiting and neurological symptoms, including meningitis and poliomyelitis-like syndrome of flaccid paralysis.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse V
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.