Question

History:  

65 year-old male, recent immigrant, presented to the doctors office with fever, coughing and shortness of breath. The patient complained of general malaise, myalgia, and exhaustion. The patient reported feeling “normal” until the day before. He then reported fever, headache and now felt “very sick” with a sore throat. This morning the patient developed hypotension and hypoxia. His daughter said the patient began to complain of generalized muscle pain, headaches, dizziness, vomiting, fatigue and mild diarrhea starting two days ago. The patient had returned from a trip to visit relatives in Asia only two days ago. One of his relatives was sick with the same severe tiredness and coughing.

Physical Examination:

            Temperature 102.8⁰ F

Blood pressure 90/50

Diffuse cough, runny nose

Sinus bradycardia (unusually slow heart beat)

Questions:

1. What is your diagnosis? What is the most likely agent causing the condition?
2. Describe in detail the organism, the family it belongs to and its life cycle. Be sure to include a discussion of antigens that are expressed on the surface of the agent’s surface that the immune system recognizes. Where did this patient likely acquire the infection?

Answer 1

the person is suffering from acute bronchitis and the causative agent is virus .there are many different virus that can cause respiratory infections . virus they enter in the lungs when we breathe. there they can settle i the mucous membrane and start multtiplying , in order to fight them, your body reacts with inflammation the blood supply to infected membranes is increased and the membranes is increased and the membrane become swollen. cells of the immune system enter the inflammed area to fight the germs.when a person coughs , droplets of fluid containing the germs are released into the air if other people come into colour with these droplets they may become infected too.. it is referred as droplet infection.