lungs is a requirement for our survival. What if you were diagnosed with a
rare respiratory disease by the name of “Legionnaire’s Disease”? What
caused this to happen and how can you keep it under control?
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia which is defined as a
lung inflammation or swelling usually caused by infection. Legionnaire’s
disease is caused by a bacterium known as legionella. This bacteria usually
develops in warm water and people get infected by breathing in droplets of
contaminated water that are in the air we breathe. Most people contract
Legionnaire’s disease from inhaling this bacteria. Older adults (over 65),
especially smokers, alcoholics and people who have weak immune systems
are extremely susceptible to
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Legionnaire’s disease. Legionnaire’s disease can be fatal in 5 to 30% of cases. So just when you thought it was safe to use: public swimming pools, lakes or rivers, public showers, walk near a fountain, you need to be concerned about the safety of your lungs. The name “Legionnaire's disease" was first used in 1976 after a respiratory disease affected many delegates attending a convention in Philadelphia held by the American Legion of Pennsylvania. Eventually, the bacteria that caused the disease was identified and named as “Legionella Pneumophila”. Samples of this bacteria have been known to exist from as far back as 1947. These tests are not regularly conducted on patients with fever and pneumonia. It is concluded that someone has Legionnaire’s disease after special laboratory examinations are conducted and these tests isolate Legionella from “respiratory secretions” (sputum) or testing a person's blood or urine. Legionnaires' disease is generally treated with antibiotics. Early treatment helps reduce the chance of serious complications so people should immediately go for medical testing when they suspect breathing issues. Major symptoms include high fever, chills, muscle aches, chest pain and a heavy cough. Treatment for Legionnaire’s disease is always antibiotics. Antibiotics were invented in 1928 by Alexander Fleming. The elders who David Martosh: very nice introduction contract Legionnaire’s disease have a more difficult time to get cured. The younger and healthier individuals generally are cured. The sooner treatment is started, the better the results. The bacteria found in the lungs as a result of contracting Legionnaire’s disease invade lung epithelial cells. These epithelial cells form the structure of the lung and other major areas of the body. The bacteria infects these cells and multiplies within the cells and eventually kills the white blood cells known as microphages.
A
microphage is a small phagocytic white blood cell.
A pathogen which is a germ or infection causes disease or illness to cells it
attacks. The term pathogen is usually used for things that disturb the normal life
of a multicellular animal or plant. The pathogen infects and eventually kills
white blood cells with a strong immune system. These white blood cells are
also known as microphages. The legionella can also infect amoeba. The
infection starts to slowly kill the healthy cells and damage the lining of the
lungs. It is also important to note that Legionnaire’s disease is usually seen in
older people with weaker immune systems and less healthy white blood
cells. People with HIV are more susceptible to this disease because their
immune systems are weak.
The bacteria are found in everyday society but when it enters our lungs, it
attempts to destroy them. This bacteria likes to live in our lungs because
they are warm and moist. Once the bacteria are in our lungs, the body’s
immune system tries to eliminate them. The body tries to do this by
‘swallowing’ the bacteria - unfortunately, this causes them to grow
and multiply. This makes the infection even worse. In order to try and fight against this bacteria, our body produces antibodies. These antibodies are produced by certain cells of the body as an immune or disease fighting attack to a foreign bacteria found in our body. I specifically chose to learn about Legionnaire’s disease because I knew very little about it. I have had family members ill from diseases and I know how important it is for them to be treated immediately when it is determined that they are sick. From these experiences with relatives, I am able to conclude that they have gone through a lot of pain and suffering, and am aware of how hard it is on them to be going through such sicknesses and health issues. Also, I myself use antibiotics when I have had throat infections. I know that even though our body tries to cure us, we need antibiotics or other forms of medication to help us heal.
Thomas disccuseed thr “paranoid delusions on a societal scale,” that we have against human diseases or our “enemies.” The book contiuniuously uses anaphora by saying that diseases result from “inconclusive negoitions for symbiosis” and misinterpretation of biology” The fact that bacteria can only be harmful from practiacally harming themselves is an interesting point to point out. That shows the reader that the only way they could be harmed from bacteria, wouls be if the bacteria had gotten itself “sick” first. Thomas talks about certain microorganisms that have “advantages in their ability to affect himan beinhg, but that there is nothing to be gained, in an evolutionary sense, by the capacity to caue illness or death.” Another reassuraing statement for readers is when he says, pathogenicy is a disadvantage for most microbes because they are carrying
Trabelsi, H., Dendana, F., Sellami, A., Sellami, H., Cheikhrouhou, F., Neji, S., … Ayadi, A. (2012). Pathogenic
Bloodborne Pathogens are pathogenic microorganisms that can eventually cause disease. They are found in human blood and other bodily fluids such as synovial fluid, semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid and any other fluid that mixes or has contact with blood. The bloodborne pathogens are pathogenic, which means they are disease causing, and they are also microorganisms, which means that they are very small so the human eye cannot see them.
My disease is Streptococcal pneumonia or pneumonia is caused by the pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. Streptococcus pneumoniae is present in human’s normal flora, which normally doesn’t cause any problems or diseases. Sometimes though when the numbers get too low it can cause diseases or upper respiratory tract problems or infections (Todar, 2008-2012). Pneumonia caused by this pathogen has four stages. The first one is where the lungs fill with fluid. The second stage causes neutrophils and red blood cells to come to the area which are attracted by the pathogen. The third stage has the neutrophils stuffed into the alveoli in the lungs causing little bacteria to be left over. The fourth stage of this disease the remaining residue in the lungs are take out by the macrophages. Aside from these steps pneumonia follows, if the disease should persist further, it can get into the blood causing a systemic reaction resulting in the whole body being affected (Ballough). Some signs and symptoms of this disease are, “fever, malaise, cough, pleuritic chest pain, purulent or blood-tinged sputum” (Henry, 2013). Streptococcal pneumonia is spread through person-to-person contact through aerosol droplets affecting the respiratory tract causing it to get into the human body (Henry, 2013).
Disease and parasitism play a pervasive role in all life. Many of these diseases start with microparasites, which are characterized by their ability to reproduce directly within an individual host. They are also characterized by their small size, short duration of infection, and the production of an immune response in infected and recovered individuals. Microparasites which damage hosts in the course of their association are recognized as pathogens. The level of the interaction and the extent of the resultant damage depends on both the virulence of the pathogen, as well as the host defenses. If the pathogen can overcome the host defenses, the host will be damaged and may not survive. If on the other hand the host defenses overcome the pathogen, the microparasite may fail to establish itself within the host and die.
The job of the immune system is to keep “foreign” invaders out of the body, or if one gets in, to seek it out and kill it. These foreign invaders are called pathogens, which are tiny organisms that can cause an infection in the body. Pathogens can be bacteria, parasites, and fungi (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/immuneSystem/pages/whatisimmunesystem.aspx).
Legionella pneumophila GRAPH Introduction: 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.
Pathogens are a type of microorganism that spreads viral and bacterial diseases. These diseases when present in human blood and body fluids are known as blood borne pathogens, and can spread from one person to another. (Worcester polytechnic institute) The most serious types of blood borne diseases are the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), which can cause liver damage; and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), which is responsible for causing AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). The blood borne pathogens can be spread when the blood or body fluids (semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk, and amniotic fluid) of an infected individual comes into contact with mucous membranes or an open sore or cut on the skin of another person. Mucus membranes are located in the eyes, nose, mouth, and other areas as well. ("Bloodborne pathogens: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia") Two of the most common ways that pathogens are transmitted is through the exchange of fluids during sexual intercourse or by sharing infected IV needles. (Worcester polytechnic institute)
Every disease has a causative agent. This agent is a harmful bacterium that causes the disease. The causative agent for this disease is the bacteria Borrelia burgdoferi.
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.
Vaccines have been around for hundreds of years starting in 1796 when Edward Jenner created the first smallpox vaccine. Jenner, an English country doctor noticed cowpox, which were blisters forming on the female cow utters. Jenner then took fluid from the cow blister and scratched it into an eight-year-old boy. A single blister came up were the boy had been scratched but it quickly recovered. After this experiment, Jenner injected the boy with smallpox matter. No disease arose, the vaccine was a success. Doctors all around Europe soon began to proceed in Jenner’s method. Seven different vaccines came from the single experimental smallpox vaccine. Now the questions were on the horizon. Should everyone be getting vaccinations? Where’s the safety limit? How can they be improved? These questions needed answers, and with a couple hundred years later with all the technology, we would have them(ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).
Engelkirk & Burton (1979) state that bacteria can reproduce asexually by simple division of cells and some bacteria reproduce sexually by conjunction. A bacterium is a waste producer of products and secretions. This allows pathogens to invade their hosts to cause disease some of these harmful diseases are Scarlet fever, an acute illness, characterized by a reddish skin rash, which is caused by systematic infection with the bacterium streptococcus. St. Anthony’s Fire is another bacterial disease. “St. Anthony’s Fire which is an acute superficial form of celluitus involving the dermal lymphatic, usually caused by infection with streptococci and chiefly characterized by a peripherally spreading hot, bright red, oedematous.
Infectious diseases are the disorders caused by organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasite who live both inside and outside our bodies and are normally helpful but can cause infectious diseases to the human (body) system under certain conditions. And for a disease to be infectious, there is what is called ‘’chain of infection’’ that takes place before. And this can be seen in the below diagram:
All great things come from a singular object, for example the human body started with a single cell combining with another singular cell, buildings are built from the single base up and computers and electronics were built up from an idea, and the revolutionary medicine called penicillin came from a single mold spore. It was an extremely potent antibacterial medicine and it is still in use today, but from where did it start? And how did become so widely used?Alexander Fleming had just returned from his month long vacation, having returned he at once set to work on his bacterial cultures, after tending to them he noticed that one of the cultures had a blue-green colored mold in it, and to his surprise he found that the bacteria was dissolving,
Various recovery techniques for Legionella were used in the methodology of this study. With regards to the sample collected, two primary sample types (water and swab sample) from each faucet were gathered and tested for the presence of the organism. The type of sample which showed a higher isolation rate of Legionella was the swab sample over the bulk water sample. Moreover, the highest CFU/L recorded was also from the swab sample (faucet ). These results could be explained by the fact that Legionellae survive within biofilms, the most likely sample collected when swabbing a faucet compared to flowing water (Rogers JA, et. Al, 1994). In this case, the probability of isolation of the organism increases due to its better survival in biofilms as well as concentrated amount in this material.