A. Case 1b: Safari Expedition Steve and his wife Stacey decided to celebrate the

Question

A. Case 1b: Safari Expedition Steve and his wife Stacey decided to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary by traveling to Africa to go on Safari. Their tour guide, told them about a waterfall that was off the beaten path in an uninhabited part of Africa. It would take about an hour to get there. Intrigued, Steve and Stacey decided since there were here, they might as well experience everything they could. However, that morning prior to departing on the safari, Steve forgot to put on bug repellent. The following day, Steve noticed a bite mark on his arm. It was a little sore and contained some dead tissue. A few days later, they departed for the United States. Once home, Steve became ill with headaches and a fever. He decided to go to the hospital where you work. 1. You are concerned about Steve and a potential illness given his recent travel plans. You decided to take a blood sample and you detect a microbe with 60s/40s ribosomes, Based on this initial analysis, identify what type(s) of microbe(s) could be causing the infection (Gram+ bacteria, Gram - bacteria, protozoan, virus, or yeast)? 2. Further analysis shows the presence of a long, thin microbe that has a single, long flagellum. Explain which group of protozoans this belongs to and contrast to other groups of protozoans (in other words, list how they are different).

Explanation / Answer

Solution :

Blood samples showed presence of two ribosomal subunits 60S and 40S which are subunits of eukaryotic 80S ribosomes.Hence presence of an eukaryote as a causative agent is for sure.

Further analysis showed that its a long,thin microbe that has a single large flagellum,which confirms a protozoan.Subphylum Mastigophora:mostly uninucleate organisms, that possess, at some time in the life cycle, one to many flagella for locomotion and sensation. (A flagellum is a hairlike structure capable of whiplike lashing movements that furnish locomotion.)

Mastigophora

Mastigophora is a division of single-celled protozoans. There are approximately 1,500 species of Mastigophora. Their habitat includes fresh and marine waters. Most of these species are capable of self-propelled movement through the motion of one or several flagella. The possession of flagella is a hallmark of the Mastigophora.

In addition to their flagella, some mastigophora are able to extend their interior contents (that is known as cytoplasm ) outward in an arm-like protrusion. These protrusions, which are called pseudopodia, are temporary structures that serve to entrap and direct food into the microorganism. The cytoplasmic extensions are flexible and capable of collapsing back to form the bulk of the wall that bounds the microorganism.

Mastigophora replicate typically by the internal duplication of their contents flowed by a splitting of the microbes to form two daughter cells. This process, which is called binary fission, is analogous to the division process in bacteria . In addition to replicating by binary fission, some mastigophora can reproduce sexually, by the combining of genetic material from two mastigophora. This process is referred to as syngamy.

The mastigophora are noteworthy mainly because of the presence in the division of several disease-causing species. Some mastigophora are parasites , which depend on the infection of a host for the completion of their life cycle. These parasites cause disease in humans and other animals. One example is the Trypanosomes, which cause African sleeping sickness and Chaga's disease. Another example is Giardia lamblia. This microorganism is the agent that causes an intestinal malady called giardiasis. The condition has also been popularly dubbed "beaver fever," reflecting its presence in the natural habitat, where it is a resident of the intestinal tract of warm-blooded animals.

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