VIII. A female patient has been suffering from continuous diarrhea for a week. T
ID: 3518762 • Letter: V
Question
VIII. A female patient has been suffering from continuous diarrhea for a week. The stool had a metal like smell. The patient is a nurse at an Assisted living home. She felt sick a week ago and her symptoms resembled that of one of her own patients. Her symptoms have been worsening to the point she is very sick and had to take time off. 1. What disease does she have? Name the causative agent. 2. How did she become infected with this microbe? Explain the pathogenesis of this disease. 3. What is the virulence factor and how would you treat this disease? 4. What would you advise the patient to do in the future to avoid such illness in particular in her line of work. (microbiology)
Explanation / Answer
1. She is suffering from giardiasis. causative agent is giardia lamblia
2. She may got infected with exposure to feaces. pathogenesis:
Giardiasis is the most common small intestinal protozoal infection and is found worldwide. The mechanisms by which Giardia duodenalis (= G. lamblia) produces chronic diarrhoea and malabsorption have still not been clearly defined. Many infections are associated with mild to moderate mucosal damage which, in animal models of infection, have functional correlates. Possible mechanisms include direct physical injury, release of parasite products such as proteinases or lectin, and mucosal inflammation associated with T cell activation and cytokine release. Other possible mechanisms of malabsorption include associated bacterial overgrowth and bile salt deconjugation, bile salt uptake by the parasite with depletion of intraluminal bile salts, and inhibition of pancreatic hydrolytic enzymes. Thus, there is no single mechanism to explain the diarrhoea and malabsorption caused by Giardia, which currently should be regarded as a multifactorial process.
virulence factor: These are independently regulated and do not require attachment to host-cells for induction of virulence factors. Thus, these host secreted signals are sufficient to induce virulence factorexpression in Giardia cells, which occurs independent of parasite attachment to host cells.
treatment of disease:
When signs and symptoms are severe or the infection persists, doctors usually treat giardiasis with medications such as:
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