What microorganism do you believe is to blame for this illness (be specific)? Provide background information on this organism, history, morphology, virulence factors, toxins

What microorganism do you believe is to blame for this illness (be specific)? Provide background information on this organism, history, morphology, virulence factors, toxins

Case Study C: A 26 year old female named Kim went to her family doctor complaining of stiff knee joints. Kim is a healthy normal weight woman who exercises regularly. The doctor asked Kim how she had been feeling over the past few weeks. Kim told the doctor that about 4 weeks ago she started having flu-like symptoms, fever, chills, fatigue and body aches. This happened about a week after she had been hiking in the mountains of Virginia with some old college friends. Kim figured she must have caught the flu from one of her friends on the trip. She also noticed a red ring-like rash on her leg about 2 weeks ago. Since that trip Kim has been doing normal activities including going to work and exercising 3 days per week at the gym.

The Gram stain results on Kim’s blood sample were inconclusive.

Based on the information presented in the case study, answer the following questions in your paper (see guidelines for additional info):

1. What microorganism do you believe is to blame for this illness (be specific)? Provide background information on this organism, history, morphology, virulence factors, toxins, etc…

2. What information from the patient’s symptoms contributed to your decision? Did this information allow you to rule out any other possible culprits? What information from the patient’s history and/or lab samples that contributed to your decision? Support your answers with factual evidence and logical reasoning.

3. What is the epidemiology of this disease? Identify risk factors for this disease and describe the disease course/outcome in humans.

4. What steps can be taken to treat the illness? How and why are the treatments effective (or ineffective)? Are there any concerns or other complications of this disease?

Project: Case Study Scenario
Addresses Course Outcomes #1, #2, #3

recognize the use of the scientific method to weigh evidence, make decisions, and solve problems
apply knowledge of cellular and molecular processes to understand infectious disease mechanisms
synthesize knowledge of microbial pathogenesis and disease prevention methods and communicate this knowledge to the community
A scientific case study is a short summary of an event or personal experience that ends in a “mystery”—in this case, one that you will solve using your own research and the clues provided within the case study. For this project, you will evaluate a patient-centered case study that explores a mysterious bacterial or viral illness. The case study will include a set of questions to guide your analysis.

Your paper should include the following:

Paper format:
Once you have gathered all of your information, you will organize your case study analysis into an essay of 1,000 to 1,500 words (not including original case study OR references). The essay should include in-text citations and references formatted in APA style.

Format Guidelines: (please separate “pages” with a horizontal line in the text box)
– Page 1: Should include the following:
– Name
– Case study text you were given (do not include the questions)

– Page 2: Begin your paper here

Brief introduction to the disease and the bacterial or viral cause of the disease.
Use the evidence provided in the case study and the information you have gathered from references to support your conclusions.
The answers to the case study questions should be worked into your final document in a logical, well-organized manner. Think of the questions as a guide to help you with the content of your paper. You should NOT simply answer these questions one by one in your paper.
Paper should be 1,000 to 1,500 words (not including original case study or references).
Use in-text citations and include reference citations at the end of the paper
References:
You must have a minimum of two outside sources to support your evaluation.
These can consist of any of the following: books, textbooks, scholarly journal articles, and websites run by reputable government organizations (such as the CDC or NIH).
You may have additional references as well. All of your references should be no more than six years old (published in 2005 or later).

Citations: