Question

Initial Post Instructions
For this discussion, take on the role of one of the pathogens we learned about. Give us a narrative about what you are doing in the body from the pathogen's point of view. How did you get into the body? In other words, how did the body inherit you. How do you move through the body? What path of destruction are you on? How will you wage battle against the body? How do you plan to win that battle? What will the body try to do to stop you? How will you fight back? Who wins?

Answer 1

I am taking the pathogen - Escherichia coli.

HOW DO I GET INTO THE BODY?
✓ I enter the body via contaminated food and water.
✓ I am a rod shaped bacterium and normally live in the intestines. Injury to intestinal tract may also trigger my pathogenicity.

HOW DO I MOVE IN THE BODY?
✓ since I enter the body via food, I travel through the gastrointestinal system. Firstly, I reach the stomach. I can wreak havoc in a person with weak stomach acids. In case , I am powerful enough to reach the intestines, I release toxins like Shiga toxins over there. It damages the intestinal lining and hence produce, diarrhea.
✓ other symptoms that I produce - nausea,vomiting,stomach pain, etc.

HOW DO I PLAN TO WIN?
✓ I plan to win by multiplying in massive numbers and in this way, I outnumber body's defences.
✓ I also have the ability to perform anaerobic respiration, which means oxygen availability cannot hamper my growth.

BODY'S DEFENCES
✓ acids in stomach can kill me.
✓people with a higher immunity tend to wash me out easily by immune responses  

WHO'S THE WINNER?
✓ I do have the ability to secrete toxins that can alter immune responses.
✓ in people with strong immunity, I lose .
✓ in cases like weakened immune system, age groups like elderly , decreased stomach acids, etc , I win. I also win if I am strong enough to fight the body.