Medical Microbiology

Case Study 1:

A 85 year-old male was found to be staying alone in one-room flat. It is found that his mattress was soiled with human excreta and urine. The premise is infested with cockroaches, fleas and rats. It is known to the neighbours that the elderly man has the habit of feeding stray dogs and cats in the neighbourhood,

The elderly man was referred to a nursing home and presented with high fever,rash and general weakness.

How would you approach this situation in order to provide final diagnosis of this suspected microorganism(s)?

Web sites:

1. Rashes caused by allergic reactions to cockroaches http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th2.htm

2. Lassa Fever caused by infected rodents or ratshttp://72.14.235.104/search?q=cache:64Ub4_XuY5AJ:www2.ncid.cdc.gov/travel/yb/utils/ybGet.asp%3Fsection%3Ddis%26obj%3Dviral_hemorrhagic.htm+illnesses+caused+by+contact+with+human+excreta&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=sg

3. Cat scratch diseasehttp://familydoctor.org/024.xml#2

4. Cholera http://www.medicinenet.com/cholera/article.htm

5. Typhoid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid

6. Cryptosporidiosis http://www.dhpe.org/infect/crypto.html

7. Dogs and cats (possible illnesses)http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/skin/pet_infections.html

8. Human excreta and Urine- possible pathogens http://www.sulabhenvis.in/pages/database_detail.asp?id=46

9. Diseases From Stray Cats and Dogs http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=52173

10. Cat Scratch Fever http://animalpetdoctor.homestead.com/Zoonotics.html