Download SH1 - Problem Solving / Critical Thinking

Life Science - Problem Solving / Critical Thinking
You be the Doc!
Name:
Hour:
Read the descriptions of various bacterial diseases. For each disease, the bacterial agent is written in italics.
Then diagnose the bacterial disease of fictitious patients based on the case histories presented.
Botulism: very dangerous form of food poisoning: Clostridium botulinum; symptoms include headache, weakness,
constipation, and nerve paralysis; may cause death if respiratory organs are paralyzed
Cholera: common in areas where sanitation is very poor; acute and infectious; Vibrio cholerae; symptoms include severe
diarrhea and vomiting, extreme dehydration, muscle cramps, and prostration
Gonorrhea: a sexually transmitted disease; Neisseria gonorrhoeae; attacks the reproductive system; symptoms do not
appear immediately and include painful urination, pus discharged from the penis or vagina; if untreated, may result in
sterility
Lobar Pneumonia: inflammation of the lung; leading cause of death in infants and the elderly; Streptococcus pheumoniae;
solidified lung tissue prevents air from entering alveoli
Scarlet Fever: contagious childhood disease; Group A beta-hemolytic streptococci; symptoms include sore throat, swelling
of lymph nodes in neck, bright red rash, nausea, hot dry skin, and fever
Tetanus: fatal unless treated; Clostridium tetani; symptoms include lockjaw, muscle spasms, convulsions, stiffness,
restlessness, headache, and chills; bacterial organisms enter the body through a puncture wound
Typhoid Fever: transmitted by contaminated water and food; Salmonella typhosa; symptoms include sore throat, high
fever, loss of appetite, diarrhea and constipation, and periods of sweating and chills
Whooping Cough: infectious disease common in children under 10; Bordetella pertussis; symptoms include chills, vomiting,
and bluish skin caused by extreme coughing which limits the amount of air entering the alveoli
Fictitious Patients
Disease Name
Patient A: 82 years old; has generally poor health; has sharp
chest pains, blood-streaked saliva, high fever, and rapid pulse
rate; X-ray confirms solid material in the lung tissue
A:
Patient B: 6 years old; mother thought the child had a slight cold
until a red rash broke out; child is listless and has a slight fever
B:
Patient C: recently traveled to an undeveloped country and unknowingly
consumed contaminated food and water; proper toilet facilities were
non-existent; exhibits severe muscle cramps and dehydration
C:
Patient D: food handler in rural areas where proper toilet facilities are not
always available; exhibits a very high fever and chills; blood in his stool
D:
Patient E: 30 years old; recently discovered a whitish fluid being
discharged by penis; has had severe pain in urination for the last
several weeks; tests show inflamed testes resulting in sterility
E:
Patient F: teenager walking barefoot in a construction area has
been punctured with a rusty nail; several days later he exhibited
mild convulsions that rapidly became more severe
F:
Patient G: has recently eaten food from a dented can; has difficulty
in seeing, swallowing, and breathing
G:
Now imagine you are working in a lab in a medical office. One day, you find all of the bacteria below in the field of
vision of your microscope. It’s up to you to identify each of these bacteria and separate the harmful ones from those
that have a helpful purpose – circle helpful if it makes food (+) or harmful if it causes disease (-). You will need to use
the bacterial key below.
Name of Bacteria
Helpful or Harmful (+ or -)
1. ________________________________________
+ or –
2. ________________________________________
+ or -
3. ________________________________________
+ or -
4. ________________________________________
+ or -
5. ________________________________________
+ or -
6. ________________________________________
+ or -
7. ________________________________________
+ or –
8. ________________________________________
+ or -
1
2
6
5
3
7
8
4
Bacterium Key
1a
if the bacterium is round, go to 2
1b
if the bacterium is not round, go to 5
2a
2b
if the bacterium is paired, go to 3
if the bacterium is not paired, go to 4
3a
3b
if the bacterium has a thick covering, it is Diplococcus pneumoniae which causes pneumonia
if the bacterium does not have a thick covering, it is Diplococcus meningitides which causes spinal meningitis
4a
4b
if the bacterium is in a chain, it is Streptococcus lactis which helps form buttermilk, a food
if the bacterium is in clumps, it is Staphylococcus aureus which causes toxic shock and boils
5a
5b
if the bacterium is rod shaped, go to 6
if the bacterium is spiral shaped, it is Treponema pallidum which causes syphilis
6a
6b
if the bacterium is in pairs, it is Bacillus lactis which helps form sauerkraut, a food
if the bacterium is single, go to 7
7a
7b
if the bacterium has a single bulge in the middle, it is Bacillus botulinum which causes food poisoning
if the bacterium has a single bulge at the end, it is Bacillus tetani which causes tetanus
ANSWER KEY
Fictitious Patients
Disease Name
Patient A: 82 years old; has generally poor health; has sharp
chest pains, blood-streaked saliva, high fever, and rapid pulse
rate; X-ray confirms solid material in the lung tissue
A:
LOBAR PNEUMONIA
Patient B: 6 years old; mother thought the child had a slight cold
until a red rash broke out; child is listless and has a slight fever
B:
SCARLET FEVER
Patient C: recently traveled to an undeveloped country and unknowingly
consumed contaminated food and water; proper toilet facilities were
non-existent; exhibits severe muscle cramps and dehydration
C:
CHOLERA
Patient D: food handler in rural areas where proper toilet facilities are not
always available; exhibits a very high fever and chills; blood in his stool
D:
TYPHOID FEVER
Patient E: 30 years old; recently discovered a whitish fluid being
discharged by penis; has had severe pain in urination for the last
several weeks; tests show inflamed testes resulting in sterility
E:
GONORRHEA
Patient F: teenager walking barefoot in a construction area has
been punctured with a rusty nail; several days later he exhibited
mild convulsions that rapidly became more severe
F:
TETANUS
Patient G: has recently eaten food from a dented can; has difficulty
in seeing, swallowing, and breathing
G:
BOTULISM
Name of Bacteria
Helpful or Harmful (+ or -)
1.
Staphylococcus aureus
Harmful
2.
Diplococcus pneumoniae
Harmful
3.
Bacillus tetani
Harmful
4.
Treponema pallidum
Harmful
5.
Diplococcus meningitides
Harmful
6.
Bacillus botulinum
Harmful
7.
Bacillus lactis
Helpful
8.
Streptococcus lactis
Helpful