Question

Multiple Personality

In a 400-600 word answer, properly cited with an APA-formatted reference list and in-text citations, please answer the following questions. In addition to the researched facts you present as your answer, you may provide opinions and real-world experiences where appropriate.

Choose a single microorganism that inhabits more than one body system. It should be considered a pathogen in at least one of the areas of the body. Attempt to choose an organism that is unique among your classmates’ selections.

One example includes Bacillus anthracis and its ability to infect the skin, muscles, respiratory system, and digestive tract. Another example are virulent strains of Escherichia coli and their link to gastroenteritis, neonatal meningitis, and urinary tract infections.

Indicate the microorganism you have chosen and provide a summary of the body systems it may infect or inhabit.

Describe the ways it interacts with those systems to live harmoniously with humans or cause disease. Rank the individual conditions in order of severity and the impact it may have on a human’s health.

What are the differences in the severity of the infections between the body systems and what factors affect severity? Is the severity linked to a characteristic of the body system? Does the particular serotype or other characteristic of the organism play a role?

Resources to get you started

Anthrax
http://www.cdc.gov/anthrax/

E.coli (Escherichia coli)
http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/

Answer 1

I choose the organism Streptoccocus pneumoniae.

Streptococcus pneumoniae lead to an infection called pneumococcal infection. S. pneumoniae is a gram-positive cocci, found in pairs and it is a non-motile organism. It causes disease in all age groups especially older and children. It is more common in developing countries and often seen in winter and spring season. It is commonly seen in people with the weakened immune system such as diabetes, HIV, lung disease, and heart disease.

S. pneumoniae mainly causes pneumonia and meningitis in humans. The route of transmission is human to human through aerosol droplets. It also causes otitis media, bacteremia, peritonitis, and sinusitis.

The organism enters into the lung and the alveoli filled with serous fluid due to the stimulation of the organism and spread throughout the lungs. Then it invades the alveoli due to the attraction of neutrophils by the S.pneumoniae. As a result of an inflammatory response, neutrophils are packed into the alveoli which result in rise of fluid in the lung. The S. pneumoniae which persist in the lung invade the blood then it leads to bacteremia. If the infected blood affects the meninges through the blood-brain barrier results in meningitis. If the S. pneumoniae passes through the paranasal sinuses, result in sinusitis and causes otitis media if the middle ear is infected. If the inflammation occurs in the peritoneal layer of the abdominal wall, results in peritonitis. Pneumococcal endocarditis is associated with inflammation of the heart valves.

The greatest morbidity rate of S.pneumoniae is seen in the case of otitis media and is usually treated by amoxicillin. The life-threatening condition is seen in Meningitis and the drug of choice is Vancomycin is used along with beta-lactam. The drug of treatment for sinusitis is amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. Vancomycin and ceftriaxone are used for Pneumococcal endocarditis. Hearing Loss, brain damage, and death are seen in most cases. Travelers are highly prone to get this disease. Alaska Native adults are prone to this infection than any other community. Vaccines are effective but the virulence of the organism produces great difficulty. It is also increasingly spread in hospitals and nursing homes.