Question

A businessman in Iowa returned from a trip to Japan and a few other countries a few months previously. He had a very sore throat. He had been treated with beta lactam drugs but was not cured. The man reported that he had had unprotected sex including oral while overseas. The gram stain of his throat showed a gram negative coccus. He was treated with a newer generation beta lactam drug and still did not cure the pharyngitis. He also showed signs of an infection of the genitourinary tract with purulent discharge from the penile region.   Samples were taken to grow a potential bacterium from both regions of his body.

**The pathogen causing this pharyngitis is Neisseria gonorrhoeae**

Questions

1. What is the most likely pathogen causing this pharyngitis? What was the source of transmission? Name two other organisms that cause pharyngitis.

2. Discuss in detail the properties of the microbe? Does it have methods of immune evasion?

3. Discuss in detail the pathogenesis of the disease from initial exposure to final outcome.   What are the complications?

4. How is it commonly transmitted? Is this disease caused by a pathogen or normal microbiota? How many cases are there is the U.S. per year or decade?

4. Describe the treatment protocol for this disease? Why did he fail treatment twice? Is this microbe considered a serious threat from antibiotic resistance?   How will they treat him now?   What is synergy for antibiotic treatment?

6. How is it grown and diagnosed in the laboratory?    What is the prognosis for the patient? Is there a vaccine for this disease?

Answer 1

Question no 1

The most likely pathogen causing this pharyngitis is the neisseria gonnorhea. This is a sexually transmitted pathogen

Question no 2

The source of transmission was unprotected oral sex as verbalised by the patient as neisseria gonnorhea is a sexually transmitted disorder.

Question no 3

Chlamydia, group c steptococcus, steptococcus group A are major organism that cause pharyngitis

Question no 4

Properties of neisseria gonnorhea

• It is gram negative microbe
• It is diplococci and fastidious
• They are organism that grow and multiply rapidly in mucus membrane
• They mainly grow in male and female genital region and throat and an us
• It is oxidase positive and aerobic organism