MMIC-Tutorials 1 to 4 (5 possible diseases and reasons)

1) Endemic Typhus
It is caused by Rickettsia typhi and is transmitted by fleas that infest rats. Less oftenly, it is caused by Rickettsia felis and is transmitted by fleas carried by cats. Symptoms include fever and weakness that are followed by a rash. This disease occur more often in people whose living conditions bring them into contact with rats.

2) Lassa fever
It is caused by Lassa virus and is transmitted through the rat species, Mastomys, in particularly M. natalensis. As certain varieties of Mastomys often live in human homes, the virus is easily transmitted to humans. Transmission occurs via direct contact with rat urine, feces and saliva or via ingestion of excretion-contaminated food. Symptoms include gradually increased fever and malaise. Skin rashes are rare.

3) Plague
It is caused by Yersinia pestis. There are three types of plagues : bubonic, septicemic and pneumonic. Based on the symptoms presented by the patient, it can be concluded that this is a case of pneumonic plague. It can be transmitted from infected rodents by fleas, direct contact with infected tissues or fluids of the infected animals or respiratory droplets from cats with pneumonia plague.

4)Toxoplasmosis
It is caused by a single-celled parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. It can be transmitted by accidentally swallowing cat feces from a cat that is shedding due to poor hygiene after handling anything that might have come into contact with cat feces. Amongst the number of people infected with the Toxoplasma parasite, only those with weak or compromised immune systems could suffer from serious health problems. Most people with this infection would not be aware of it as the may feel that they are simply suffering from "flu" due to its similar symptoms such as fever and fatigue.

5) Lyme disease
It is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. They are transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks. Symptoms include a characteristic expanding rash and fever. Exposure to tick habitats increase the risk of getting Lyme disease. Bacteria from a tick bite can only enter the bloodstream if the tick stays attached to the skin for more than 48 hours. If the tick is not removed within that period of time, the chance of getting Lyme disease is quite high.

MMic-Tutorials 1 to 4 (List of possible diseases)

A 85-year-old male was found to be staying alone in one-room flat. It is found that his mattress was soiled with human excreta and urine. The premise is infested with cockroaches, fleas and rats. It is known to the neighbors that the elderly man has the habit of feeding stray dogs and cats in the neighborhood.

The elderly man was referred to a nursing home and presented with high fever, rash and general weakness.

How would you approach this situation in order to provide final diagnosis of the suspected microorganism(s)?

The list of possible diseases:

Jiaxin

1) African Trypanosomiasis
African trypanosomiasis is infection with protozoa of the genus Trypanosoma transmitted by the bite of a tsetse fly. Symptoms include characteristic skin lesions, intermittent fever and headache.

http://www.merck.com > THE MERCK MANUAL > The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy> Infectious Disease > African Trypanosomiasis

2) Endemic Typhus (flea-borne typhus and murine typhus)
It is caused by Rickettsia typhi. It is transmitted by fleas that infest rats. Less oftenly, it is caused by Rickettsia felis and is transmitted by fleas carried by cats. Symptoms include fever and weakness , followed by a rash.

http://en.wikipedia.org > Search > Endemic Typhus

Azhar

1) Dengue fever

Dengue viruses are transmitted to humans through the bites of infective female Aedes
mosquitoes. Mosquitoes generally acquire the virus while feeding on the blood of an infected person. After virus incubation for 8-10 days, an infected mosquito is capable, during probing and blood feeding, of transmitting the virus, to susceptible individuals for the rest of its life.

http://www.who.int > Media Center > Fact sheet > Dengue & Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever

2) Plague
The plague is an infectious disease due to a bacteria called Yersinia Pestis. Y. Pestis mainly infects rats and other rodents. Rodents are the prime reservoir for the bacteria. Fleas function as the prime vectors carrying the bacteria from one species to another. The fleas bite the rodents infected with Y. Pestis and then they bite people and so transmit the disease to them.

http://www.medterms.com > Search >Plague


Ming Boon

1) Rat-bite fever
Rat-bite fever is caused by either Streptobacillus moniliformis or Spirillum minus. Symptoms of the streptobacillary form include fever, rash, and arthralgias. The spirillary form causes relapsing fever, rash, and regional lymphadenitis.

http://www.merck.com > THE MERCK MANUAL > The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy> Infectious Disease > Spirochetes > Rat-bite Fever

2)Lassa fever
Lassa fever outbreaks have occurred in Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Cases have been imported to the US and the United Kingdom. The reservoir is Mastomys natalensis, a rat that commonly inhabits houses in Africa. Most human cases probably result from contamination of food with rodent urine. Symptoms begin with gradually progressive fever, weakness, rash.

http://www.tarakharper.com > Science > Lassa Fever
http://www.merck.com > THE MERCK MANUAL > The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy> Infectious Disease > Arboviridae, Arenaviridae, Bunyaviridae, and Filoviridae > Lassa Fever

Yvonne

1) Rocky mountain spotted fever
Disease is characterized by rashes and high fevers, usually contracted through insect bites. It is a bacteria with virus-like qualities.

http://www.bookrags.com > Search >Rickettsia

2) Brucellosis
Brucellosis is a disease caused by bacteria in the genus Brucella. The primary complaints are are weakness and fatigue. An infected person may also experience muscle aches, fever, and chills.

http://www.bookrags.com > Search> Brucellosis

Shahirah & Michelle

1) Toxoplasmosis
A single-celled parasite called Toxoplasma gondii causes a disease known as toxoplasmosis. A Toxoplasma infection can occur by accidentally swallowing cat feces from a Toxoplasma-infected cat that is shedding the organism in its feces.

http://www.cdc.gov > DPD Search > Toxoplasmosis > Fact Sheet

2) Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is caused by a spirochaete bacterium called Leptospira interrogans. Symptoms include high fever and rash.

http://en.wikipedia.org > Search >Leptospirosis


3) Lyme disease
Lyme disease results from infection with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. They are transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks.

http://en.wikipedia.org > Search> Lyme Disease

Symptoms include

• A skin rash, often resembling a bulls-eye
• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Stiff neck
• Swelling of knees and other large joints

http://www.cdc.gov > Traveller's Health > Yellow Book > Chapter 4 – Prevention of Specific Infectious Diseases > Lyme Disease
http://medlineplus.gov > Search MedlinePlus > Lyme Disease > National Library of Medicine

4) General diseases caused by cockroaches
Cockroaches are capable of transmitting a long list of diseases. They are known carriers of:

• Boils
• Dysentary
• Hepatitis
• Plague
• Salmonella
• Typhus

http://www.sfenvironment.com/aboutus > Search > Cockroaches > SF Environment: Cockroaches

About Us

J.A.M.M.Y.S = Jiaxin.Azhar.Michelle.MingBoon.Yvonne.Shahirah

We hope to learn as much things as we can within this year and everything will go on smoothly as planned. We shall end here because we need to research on the problem statement!