Emerging Infectious Disease Project about E.coli 0157;H7

Emerging infectious Dseases are infectious diseases whose incidence in humans have increased in the past two decades or threaten to increase in the near future. These diseases include

New infections resulting from changes or evolution of existing organisms

Known infections spreading to new geographic areas or populations

Previously unrecognized infections appearing in areas undergoing ecologic

transformation

Old infections reemerging as a result of antimicrobial resistance in known agents or

breakdowns in public health measures.

Agents with bioterrorism potential

The project will consist of two parts:

A poster that will address each of the components of information listed below (80 points),

and

A one-page handout that would be suitable to explain the critical aspects of the disease

to the general public

The poster part of the project should include, at a minimum, the following information (5 points per section):

Introduction and general characteristics of the disease

Etiologic agent and its general characteristics (structure, staining characteristics etc)

The signs and symptoms of the disease

Why is this organism considered to be of high risk? What organ system(s) does it affect?

Laboratory tests to absolutely confirm the identity of the disease, i.e., gram stain, spore

producer, acid-fast, O2 requirements etc. Be specific for this organism!

Historical information to include when, who, and where the organism was isolated,

historical implications, and the significance of its name

Transmission route(s), usual reservoirs and lifecycle.

Treatment for the disease. Death rate without treatment. Is a vaccine available? If so,

discuss the vaccine, side effects etc. If no vaccine is available, why not? Is work being

done to develop one?

How can the disease be prevented?

Special susceptibility (i.e., elderly, immunocompromised, children, etc.)

Current outbreaks/cases locally and globally (with incidence)

It is important that the above information be complete, and that it be presented in a logical and orderly manner. If you don’t it will be obvious and you will end up losing points. I do look at all of the posters in great detail. Your poster must be presented on a large, tri-fold, standing poster board.

A minimum of five reliable, scientific references (books, publications or Internet) plus any other references used. (10 of the 80 points)

When selecting online references remember that not all information on the Internet is reliable. Always try to use journal articles or governmental documents as the “authority,” and not rely on commercial sites (.com). Two references with the same URL except for the last part will be considered the same reference, like different pages in a book. Include all sources used; reference books and periodicals by a standard format. Be sure that you reference all photos/charts that you use on or below the item on the poster.

Be VERY careful when referencing online sites. Each underscore, period, or capital letter must be exact, or we will not be able to find the site. Always check your references before reporting them by using the OPEN feature on your browser. If your reference will not open, it will not be counted toward your grade.

To report your sources, prepare a bibliography at the end of your poster presentation and number all references used. Then in the body of your poster, give the number of the reference you used for information. This is called end notes, which you have probably used for other research papers. As with any report, be sure that you are not directly copying or simply paraphrasing material that you use. If you choose to use direct quotes from the article, you must use quotation marks. I will be checking the references, so be sure NOT to plagiarize!

There are five required parts of an Internet reference:

the author of the article, if available.

title of the article

the date written/updated

Internet address (URL). For example,

http://www2.austin.cc.tx.us/microbio/2704/syllabus.html is the URL or reference for this page, which should show in your browser heading. An easy way to get this reference is to copy it from your browser and paste into your word processing program, so typos will not be made.

the date you visited the site.

The remaining 15 points for the poster will be based upon my evaluation of the overall project, including spelling, grammar, logical sequence of presentation, and attractiveness (uncluttered, neat, colorful, professional).

Brochure: 20 points

The second part of the project is to develop a brochure that could be handed out to the general public to educate them about the disease. A sample of a brochure is available for you to look at on Canvas. Grading on this part of the project will be based on accuracy of the content, appropriateness for understanding by the general public, attractiveness and creativity. Do not simply copy the brochure that I have given you for an example! Use your own imagination to put one together. The brochure should also not just be a copy of the technical information in your poster; think about what a person from the general public would understand (in a brochure) versus what you as a healthcare worker should know about the disease (on the poster).