CASESTUDY
A Walking Pneumonia Outbreak at a University
Working as an epidemiologist with the Georgia Department of Public Health, Janet completed her final assessment of the walking pneumonia outbreak that occurred during fall semester 2012 at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Figure a). She was relieved that the largest pneumonia outbreak at a U.S. university in 35 years was finally over.
a. The number of Mycoplasma pneumoniae cases among students at Georgia Institute of Technology in 2012
Bar graph shows number of cases versus week of illness onset from August 4 to November 24.
(Data from: Mycoplasma pneumoniae Outbreak at a University Georgia, 2012. (2013, August 2). Retrieved July 10, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6230a2.htm#Fig.)
1.
How long did the outbreak last?
2.
How many total students were diagnosed?
When the physician at the university health center called Janet in October reporting a sudden increase in students presenting with sore throat, fever, headache, fatigue, and a dry cough that sometimes occurred as violent spasms, she immediately suspected the infectious culprit to be Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Figure b). She knew this extremely small, wall-less bacterium was easily transmitted via respiratory droplets from coughs and sneezes by people living and working in crowded places, like a university. This mild form of pneumonia occurs most often in people younger than age 35 and is sometimes called walking pneumonia because patients are usually still able to function.
b. An electron micrograph of Mycoplasma pneumoniae cells
Diagram shows Mycoplasma pneumaniae cells showing several shapes inside a square.
3.
Why do the Mycoplasma bacteria shown have such unusual cell shapes?
4.
Predict the effectiveness of treating a Mycoplasma infection with penicillin, an antibiotic that inhibits cell wall synthesis.
Janet collaborated with the university health center staff to test respiratory samples from the affected students and quickly confirmed M. pneumoniae as the causative agent. To curtail the outbreak, Janet and school administrators implemented an outreach campaign to alert the university community and educate them on healthy practices to minimize pathogen transmission in the college setting.
INVESTIGATE:
5.
Should Janet’s prevention plan include administering a vaccine against walking pneumonia?
Using a survey to assess the effectiveness of their outreach campaign, Janet was pleased that 79% of the students who were aware of the outbreak reported following her recommendations to reduce infection spread. She was frustrated, however, to discover that 54% of the campus was completely unaware of the outbreak, putting them at high risk both for acquiring the infection and for serving as a pathogen reservoir that could extend the outbreak.
6.
What methods of communication do you think would be the most effective means of reaching college students with this vital information?
Think critically and try the interactive case study related to pathogens discussed in this chapter.
Copyright 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
CASESTUDY
H1N1 in Young Adults
As the semester came to a close, college freshman Marla Jenkins started feeling run down and developed a cough. She took an over-the-counter cold medication to relieve her symptoms. I hope I’ll feel well enough to study for my last two finals after the drugs kick in, Marla thought.
Marla’s medicine did little to alleviate her discomfort, and she felt progressively worse throughout the day. By bedtime she had a headache, chills, muscle aches, fatigue, and a noticeably worse cough with a temperature of 102.9F (39.4C). Marla took two ibuprofen tablets before lying down for the night.
Marla didn’t make it to her remaining final examinations. Her alarm went off at 7 a.m., but Marla didn’t stir despite the blaring noise. Tiffany, her roommate, called to Marla but received no response. When she failed to shake Marla awake, Tiffany phoned 911.
When Marla finally awoke, she found herself in the intensive-care unit (ICU) of a hospital with her worried parents by her bedside. They were talking to Dr. Sheldon, an infectious-diseases specialist, who told them her lab results were positive for the novel H1N1 influenza virus.
a. The novel H1N1 influenza A virus
Diagram shows H1N1 influenza A virus with genome and peplomers.
1.
How many types of peplomers are found on the surface of the novel H1N1 influenza virus?
Marla is extremely ill, Dr. Sheldon explained to the Jenkins family. Contrary to what most people think, the flu is not always a simple illness. Flu, like any pulmonary infection, may lead to life-threatening complications that require professional medical intervention.
How long do I have to stay in the hospital? Marla asked nervously. I have two final exams to take today. Can’t you just give me some medicine and send me back to school?
INVESTIGATE:
2.
What is the novel H1N1 influenza virus?
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