Question

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.

What infection does he have? Name the causative agent.

How did he become infected with this microbe? Explain the pathogenesis of this disease.

What are the virulence factors for this pathogen? What would be the treatment based on the virulence factors and why? Why is it considered as a food borne illness yet there are no symptoms that indicating it is?

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

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

Answer 1

He is suffering from brucellosis disease.

The causative agent of this disease is B.abotus, B.canis, B.suis, and B.melitensis.

Infection takes place due to drinking unpasteurized milk from cow, goats and other animals are infected with bacteria.

Symptoms:

• Body pain

• Back pain

• A cough

• Abdominal pain

Treatment:

Antibiotics are given to the patients for the treatment is:

• ciprofloxacin or ofloxacin

• rifampin

• bactrim

• streptomycin

• Doxycycline

• Tetracycline

Prevention steps:

• Do not drink unpasteurized milk.

• Do not eat raw meat.

• Do not go to the brucellosis infected areas.