Case 2 1. What is your best diagnosis of this case?
From my research on the signs and symptoms that this patient presented I would diagnose her with Lyme’s disease. 2. What features are critical to your diagnosis?
Lyme’s disease is a bacterial infection caused by bacteria called Borrelia Burgdorferi. This is a bacterium that is carried by ticks. The patient has all of the signs and symptoms of this disease. Prior to the onset of symptoms she was in the wilderness in Wisconsin where she said there were a large number of insects, including ticks. She presented with fever, fatigue, tender joints, headache, stiff neck, backache, irregular heartbeat, decreased concentration, as well as a “bulls eye” rash. All of these symptoms lead to Lyme’s disease. 3. What further steps should be taken to clear up the problem?
The patient’s symptoms should be treated with antibiotics. The type of antibiotics would depend on the stage of the disease. In this patient’s case, she has signs and symptoms of being in the latter stages because of the joint stiffness and decreased concentration.

Case 8 1. What is your diagnosis here? What organism is responsible?
From my research on this 4 year old patient, I concluded that she has all of the signs and symptoms of E. Coli Infection. This infection is caused by the bacterium, E. Coli that lives in the digestive tracts of humans and animals.

2. What pathogenic feature of this organism caused the severity of this problem?

The most common harmful type of E. Coli is called enterohemorrhagic E. Coli, more specifically, E. Coli O157:H7. This strain of bacterium may cause a number of symptoms, including severe anemia or kidney failure, which can result in death.

3. What were the critical features to your diagnosis?
The patient presented with signs and symptoms of E. Coli infection. These symptoms