Question

Question 5

The town of Valley Point, Colorado is being constructed in the foothills of the Sunset Mountains to support a gold mining operation nearby. 600 People are currently inhabiting the nearly completed town which is designed to accommodate 2,500 inhabitants. Outhouses are the order of the day for dealing with human waste and the town has pumped its water in from a nearby mountain lake that is fed by a pristine stream flowing off of the mountains. Some local agriculture and animal husbandry will provide most of the food for the town. Spirits and the remaining food needed will be brought in from Denver by wagon and pack mule.

• By the time the town’s population has reached 1,500, there occurs an outbreak of intestinal disease. It appears to be associated with consumption of home- grown raw vegetables fertilized with cow manure.
• Those affected show acute bloody diarrhea, severe abdominal cramps, little or no fever and the disease lasts about 1 week.
• Ultimately everyone in the town comes down with the disease, but children and the elderly appear to be most severely affected. The disease appears to be transmitted among children and household contacts as well and 3% of those infected experience kidney failure.

*Name the specific organism causing the disease

*Describe the factor(s) that have led to this outbreak

*Name the two modes of transmission that are apparent in this scenario.

Answer 1

This seems to be a bacterial infection like E.coli,shigella which can cause severe abdominal pain,bloody diarrhoea with or without fever

The factors which have led to this outbreak ate

• handling of human waste
• Water
• Foods from animal husbandry

The modes of transmission are

• Food borne
• Water borne