Legionnaires’ disease is an infectious disease caused most often by the bacteria Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila). The disease resembles severe pneumonia. Legionnaires’ disease is sometimes called “Legion Fever.” It was first discovered in 1976 when there was a pneumonia outbreak among people attending a convention of the American Legion in Philidelphia. In January of 1977 the bacteria was discovered as the causative agent of the outbreak. While outbreaks receive substantial media attention, thousands of people are exposed to the bacteria each year and never have any serious signs or symptoms of the disease. The elderly, immunocompromised and smokers are the most susceptible. Most outbreaks that do occur are in the summer when water temperatures naturally rise. Fatality rate of the disease ranges from 5 to 30 percent (The Mayo Clinic, 2008).
L. pneumophila belongs to the genus Legionella. This genus also causes Pontiac Fever, a milder illness resembling the flu. Infections by Legionella bacterium, separately or together, is sometimes called legionellosis. L. pneumophila is a ubiquitous organism which thrives in warm, moist places – including water pipes. It is thin, pleomorphic, flagellated and Gram-negative. It is the primary human pathogen of its genus. It does not have endospores or a capsule and morphologically it is a rod-like bacteria. Although, it is considered Gram-negative, it stains poorly because of its lipopolysaccharide outer layer of the outer cell membrane. It is non-acid-fast, aerobic and non-fermentative. It is not pigmented but it is oxidase and catalase positive. Its optimum temperature is around 35 degrees Celsius or 95 degrees Fairinheight and it is capable of surviving temperature ran...
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...a disinfectant. (www.prominent.com)
Legionnaire’s disease is a serious disease. The bacteria that cause it are widespread and difficult to isolate and kill. It a comfort and a fear to know that it is a ubiquitous organism. Most of our bodies possess the weapons necessary to fight off infection and prevent disease from this organism. In the healthcare setting, where patients have pre-existing diseases, is where this bacteria strikes hardest. Protecting patients should be our utmost concern. Despite lack of rigid regulations the need for controlling this bacterium should not be overlooked. Hopefully with further education, labs will be more effective at isolating and monitoring Legionella in water systems. L. pneumophila will never be completely eradicated, but controlling its spread will continue to be necessary to prevent this potentially fatal disease.
The Gram positive bacteria has been nicknamed Posi. The Gram positive species’ morphology includes having an opaque opacity with a smooth margin. The moisture content of the Gram positive species is shiny and the pigmentation is gold. The Gram positive species grows at an optimal temperature of 37°C. The shape of the Gram positive species is a cocci, with an arrangement of grapelike clusters. The Gram positive species’ size ranges from .5-1.5 µm. Oxygen requirement of the Gram positive species is facultative, and has complete lysis of red blood cells. All results are summarized in Table
Francisella tularensis is a bacteria that is commonly referred to as Rabbit Fever. This microorganism is often known as this because the bacteria resides in mammals such as rabbits, squirrels and mice (UPMC Center for Health Security, 2013). There are many different components to this bacteria that make it unique. The microorganism F. tularensis is one that has very unique characteristics that make it responsible for being the kind of bacteria that it is. It is a gram-negative bacteria that occurs in coccobacillus form. It is a non-motile bacteria that is commonly found in water, mud, and decaying animal carcasses. (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, 2013). Because of these characteristics, F. tularensis is able to live in these conditions for weeks (UPMC Center for Health Security, 2013). For all of these reasons, this microorganism can be potentially harmful to humans.
S. pyogenes is a bacterium that permeates our society. Today it is commonly known as the cause of “Strep. throat,” or Streptococcal pharyngitis. Modern medicine has caused the eradication of most of its advanced infections, while this most common form of infection still thrives. It is very contagious, and pyogenes travels quickly through places where bacteria flourish, such as schools and health institutions. The body cannot fight this bacterium very well without help, and S. pyogenes was a common cause of death until the introduction of antibiotics in the twentieth century. It has a number of ways to subdue the immune system, but it is almost completely vulnerable to penicillin, even after decades of exposure. While generally no more than a nuisance, this bacterium continues to be an interesting topic of discussion. (6,3,2)
Trabelsi, H., Dendana, F., Sellami, A., Sellami, H., Cheikhrouhou, F., Neji, S., … Ayadi, A. (2012). Pathogenic
In the documentary, Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria, reporter David Hoffman investigates this new untreatable infection along two individuals and a bacterial virus within a hospital. The first individual Hoffman investigates is Addie Rerecich of Arizona, she was treated for a staph infection with antibiotics, but other complications arise. Addie had a lung transplant, she was given several different antibiotics, but her body became pan-bacteria, non-resistance to the bacteria. Addie’s life was on the edge, she had to be on life support, and finally she received new lungs. The transplant helped Addie but it would take years before could go back to normal before the infection. The second individual is David Ricci; he had his leg amputated in India after a train accident. The antibiotic treatment he received became toxic to his body increasing problems. While in India, he underwent surgery almost every day because of infections he was developing. Back in Seattle, doctors found the NDM-1 resistance gene in his body; NDM-1 gene is resistance to almost all antib...
Many say that history repeats itself, and throughout history, the spread of food-borne diseases has been constantly threatening humans. Salmonella, a disease which attacks numerous people a year, has returned, infected, and put people under panic of what they are eating. According to Foodborne Diseases, it is stated that “Salmonella comprises a large and diverse group of Gram-negative rods. Salmonellae are ubiquitous and have been recovered from some insects and nearly all vertebrate species, especially humans, livestock, and companion animals” (Gray and Fedorka-Cray 55). Because of the flexibility and the ability to reproduce rapidly, this infamous disease still remains as one of the most common threats in our society as well as an unconquerable problem that humans face these days.
C. difficile infection (CDI) is a dangerous healthcare-associated infection as well as a growing burden, especially with the appearance of more potent strains in the early 2000s. Clostridium difficile was initially identified as possessing the ability to initiate pseudomembranous colitis in the late 1970s. Asymptomatic colonization in healthy adults has been detected in only 3% of individuals, whereas the pervasiveness of such colonization among patients in long-term-care facilities is approximately 50%. People colonized with C. difficile act as a reservoir of contamination by infecting the environment with C. difficile spores, consequently leading to an increase of the pathogen in the hands of healthcare professionals or by way of medical equipment (Noorani, Soni, Pitrak, Belinson, & Aronson, 2012).... ... middle of paper ... ...
Legionella pneumophila are gram-negative rods. They are very difficult to culture because of their complex nutrient requirements, such as cysteine, high concentrations of iron, and the use of activated charcoal agar. They survive as intracellular pathogens of either protozoa or human macrophages. They are most often found in stagnant water reservoirs like air conditioning cooling towers, whirlpool spas, humidifiers, faucets and shower heads, and are infectious when inhaled. L. pneumophila was first identified and named after the American Legion convention of 1976, held in Philadelphia, PA. 182 people became infected, and 29 died (most of which were older men or cigarette smokers). Although this organism was named in the 70’s, retrospective studies showed cases since 1943.
“Legionnaires’ disease is a bacterial infection caused primarily by the species Legionella pneumophila, it was initially recognized as the cause of a 1976 outbreak of respiratory disease outbreak in Philadelphia. Legionellosis infection occurs after persons have breathed mists that come from a water source. The most recent outbreak of Legionnaires’disease is in New York City, in the Bronx, with a total of ten deaths and more than one hundred outbreaks, which were traced to a cooling tower, deaths have also been reported in Michigan, and Ohio.
there may be many more people with the disease than are reported. Lauer’s data is not welcome news for communities. “Imagine you owned that house there”—she pointed out the window to an upscale tract home—“and I took a sample and found the valley-fever fungus.... ...
"Bloodborne Pathogens : MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2014.
Legionnaires disease, characterized as a form of pneumonia, is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Legionella. Legionnaires disease accumulated its name after it spread to more than 4,000 World War II Legionnaires, as well as their family and friends, which all gathered to participate in the 58th American Legion's convention in Philadelphia, about 600 of whom were staying at the hotel this convention was being held at. The day after the convention was being hosted, a great number of the people began feeling ill. No one began to think anything of it, because the symptoms were beginning to be very similar to any other stomach flu. It wasn’t until the American Legionnaires started dying of an illness no one could figure out what was, that endless tests were completed, and Medical specialists came to a conclusion that a bacteria, Legionella, was spreading through the air conditioning vents in the convention hotel. (Legionnaires disease: A history if its discovery). This non contagious infection enters the body through contaminated bacteria into water vapor that we breathe in, affecting the bronchial tubes, and lungs. Legionnaires disease was then given it’s name in 1976, after it killed 34 people from the convention in Philadelphia.
The disease Varicella is a very transmittable disease, as the varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes it. Varicella attacks the human’s nervous system and debilitates it. Like many viruses, VZV, enters the body through airborne viral particles from another infected person. “The new host breathes in the virus, which enters the mucous membrane in a person’s respiratory tract and begins to spread without its envelope from cell to cell” (Dougherty, 2002). Every virus has a specific cell it adheres to and attacks in order to invade the human system, VZV, attacks T cells. “The virus invades T-cells of the blood and those T-cells carry the virus to the skin. There, the virus can recreate its envelope because the top layer of the skin lacks the endosomal
Mandatory chicken pox vaccine Chicken pox vaccine mandatory for children by Ana Patejdl at The Daily Illini, Available at http://www.dailyillini.com/apr02/apr17/news/stories/news_story10.shtml, Accessed 12/06/03 The above-mentioned article discusses the validity and safety of the vaccine for the chicken pox given to children before they enter kindergarten. The above mentioned article supports the assumption that the decision to give vaccines to children entering kindergarten did not have any solid proof as to whether the vaccine was safe enough for the children or not. The article argues that the approval for the requirement was not backed by the scientific proof that the vaccine was safe. Nevertheless, as the vaccine validity and safety is under debate, there is a healthy assumption that the vaccine would be good for children and would prevent them from dying under the unhealthy circumstances like chicken pox. This assumption is valid as long as there is scientific proof and evidences that: "I wanted people to know there is a vaccine available for them, for their children so that, you know, it doesn't have to happen to them. You know, if we only knew then what we know now, our son might be alive today." Chicken pox, Wednesday, August 7, Available at http://wgntv.trb.com/news/local/eveningnews/wgntv-080702medicalwatch,0,4271659.story?coll=wgntv-evening-news-2, Accessed 12/06/03 In the above example of the statement the evidence is provided through a personal testimonial of a mother whose son has died due to chicken pox. While here we may not argue for the validity of the proof that the lady’s son died due to chicken pox, but that if the vaccine were available he would have survived. There is a direct connection and relatedness ...
Salmonella enterica typhi (typhoid fever causing bacteria) are parasites with no other known living environment outside of humans (Pike, 2014). Typhoid has the ability to cause large outbreaks and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified Salmonella species with other food safety threats as high priority potential bioterrorism agents (Baggier, Burwen, Haber, & Ball, 2004). Salmonella enterica typhi is one of three species of the Salmonella genus. Typhoid gets its name from Typhos, which means smoke, or to cloud, or vapor. It was thought to be transmitted through a “cloud of sickness called miasma” (Pike, 2014). When someone recovers from typhoid fever, about 3-5% become carriers o...