Question

Choose two infections caused by different pathogens that have similar symptoms. Examples include two diarrheal diseases such as norovirus and Campylobacter jejuni or two respiratory infections such as the common cold and influenza.

1. What is the organism, etiology, transmission, symptoms, clinical signs, treatment, and prognosis of each disease?

2. What examinations, diagnostic tests, or characteristics of the organisms would allow medical professionals to distinguish between the two and deliver an accurate diagnosis to the patient?

3. If the patient were misdiagnosed with one infection while they actually have the other, how would they be treated and what would be the effect (or absence of effect) of the treatment? How can clinicians attain more accuracy in diagnosis and treatment for disease?

Is it a Cold, Flu or Allergy?
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2014/10/cold-flu-or-allergy

Answer 1

Diarrheal disease norovirus and campyobacter jejuni: 1)a) norovirus: the organism is known norwalk virus,eithology:it is transmitted by fecal oral route and it can by contaminated food or water or person to person contact and also spread by contaminated surface or through the air and also unsanitary food preparation, symptoms: diarrhea, throwing up, nausea, stomach pain, and other symptoms are fever, headache and bodyaches, clinical signs; an abrupt onset of vomiting ( winter vomiting disease) short systemic illness,short incubation period ( 24 to 48 hrs),treatment : there is no specific medicine to treat, treatment aim to aviod a complications by measures such as management of dehydration caused by fluid loss in vomiting and diarrhea and to mitigate symptoms using antiemetics and antidiarrheals, prognosis: good,b) campylobacter jejuni: organism is camyplobacter jejuni, etiology : contaminated drinking water and unpasteurized milk contaminated food, transmission:mode of transmission of campylobacter by the organism via contaminate food or water particularly raw or undercooked meats or raw milk and from contact with pets.symptoms/ signs: diahorrea, malasie, fever, abdominal pain,bacterrmia,treatment: drink planty of fluids, and intake of antibiotics and electrolytes,prognosis : good. 2)Diagnosis for norovirus is PCR and ELISA , Diagnosistest for camphylobacter jejun ; gram styain,EIA etc. characteristics of norovirus : it is a nonenvelope , single stranded RNA viruses and is highly infectious enteric viruses , characteristics of camphylobacter jejuni : it is a bacteria and microaerobic, nonsporeforming, negative bacteria and have motile, spiral rods. 3) in both diarrheal disease the treament is mostly hydrating so if any misdagnosis is there the effect will not be adverse, and if patient is not responding to one regime of treatment then they can go for other and for more accurate in diagnosis and treament lab tests will be more helpful.