A 69 year old man named Phil went to the emergency room complaining headache, body aches and red blisters on his left neck and torso. Phil lives with his daughter and grandchildren in upstate New York. Patient history revealed that Phil is in fairly good health for his age and has no outstanding chronic health problems. Phil mentioned that two of his grandchildren recently contracted Strep throat in pre-school. Blister fluid samples were sent for analysis.
Lab results indicated that no gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria were found in the sample.
Based on the information presented in the case study, answer the following questions in your paper (see guidelines for aIDitional info):
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…
What information from the patients symptoms contributed to your decision? Did this information allow you to rule out any other possible culprits? What information from the patients history and/or lab samples that contributed to your decision? Support your answers with factual evidence and logical reasoning.
What is the epidemiology of this disease? Identify risk factors for this disease and describe the disease course/outcome in humans.
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?
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