Introduction Typhoid fever (also known simply as typhoid) is a symptomatic bacterial infection that is characterized by various mild to severe symptoms, including fever, marked headache, and malaise. Other reported symptoms include anorexia, relative bradycardia, splenomegaly, nonproductive cough in the early stages of the illness, visible rose spots in the trunk, and constipation more often than diarrhea in adults (Heymann, 2015). The causative agent of typhoid is Salmonella enterica serovar typhi. Salmonella organisms penetrate the mucosa of both the small and large bowel, coming to lie intracellularly, where they proliferate. Initially S. typhi proliferates in the lower small intestine from where systemic dissemination occurs to the liver, …show more content…
Twelve of those cases were of people in attendance at the Schenectady Methodist Church’s afternoon supper on May 30th. Walter Thurber, who was not in attendance, ate food (specifically, potato salad) that was brought home from the supper by his wife. The evidence suggests that twelve of the cases were exposed to the illness during the dinner on May 30th, and the thirteenth (Mr. Thurber) was exposed to it on or soon after May 30th. Ten of the thirteen cases were in female (see appendix A), although it is unclear whether or not most attendees at the supper were female (only the first initials of those not affected are available). The age range of those affected is fairly evenly spread out between fourteen and sixty-five years old (see Appendix B), and a little over half of those infected were housewives (see Appendix C). Much of the dairy supply for those affected came from Dairylea and Bordan’s, but there was also dairy supply from individuals’ own cows as well as other suppliers (see Appendix D). The water sanitation in most of the homes of those infected came from the city (see Appendix E), and all but one of those infected lived in Schenectady. The person who did not live in Schenectady had made a trip to the city and was also in attendance at the …show more content…
Since typhoid fever is an illness typically contracted from food and beverages handled by people who are shedding the bacteria or when sewage contaminated by the bacteria goes into water for drinking or preparing foods, it is important to consider environmental factors such as food and water sources, exposure to sewage, and ingestion of contaminated or uncooked foods (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, May 2013). In the case study, some of those infected owned their own water wells for their water source and septic tanks for their sewerage. This setup can potentially impact the level of contamination of their drinking water and expose them to a higher risk of contracting typhoid. People in the infected group were also noted to have cows from which they sourced their dairy products. Ingestion of these foods can also increase the risk of contracting S. typhi and other bacteria because it has not undergone pasteurization to rid it of harmful
Despite all, their love was not strong enough to fight against the plague. They had prayed every night for help for Alice, but shortly they all fell ill. Together they experienced nausea and violently vomited. They began to swell; hard, painful, burning lumps on their neck, arms and thighs then appeared. Their bumps had turned black, split open and began to ooze yellow, thick puss and blood. They were decaying on the inside; anything that would come out of their bodies would contain blood and soon puddles of blood formed under their skin. They slowing withered away together. The home became repulsing; the flowers in their yard could no longer mask the smells of their rotting bodies and revolting bodily fluids. Alice was the first to leave, then John, Mama, and Papa followed. Together they all fell victim to the Black Plague.
Typhoid fever is a systemic infection caused by the gram-negative organism Salmonella typhi. It is transmitted through fecal-oral or urine-oral route by either direct or indirect contact of the carrier’s or infected individual’s feces or urine. Humans are the only source of this organism. Ingestion of
Diagnosis of salmonellosis involves testing a sample of stool, as well as isolation from samples of tissue, blood, or urine. Since it is commonly mistaken for the flu and involves similar symptoms to other illnesses, the method of diagnosis for salmonellosis is pretty hard to come by. Most people with salmonellosis don’t seek treatment, so they’re never aware that they even had it. Since it is a foodborne pathogen, has a common route of infection via oral ingestion, and is found in food products that we consume on a daily
Judith Walzer Leavitt's Typhoid Mary details the life of Mary Mallon, one of the first known carriers of the typhoid disease. Leavitt constructs her book by outlining the various perspectives that went into the decisions made concerning Mary Mallon's life. These perspectives help explain why she was cast aside for most of her life and is still a household catchphrase today. Leavitt paints a picture of the relationship between science and society and particularly shows how Mallon was an unfortunate example of how science can be uneven when it is applied to public policy. This paper will focus on the subjectivity of science and its' interaction with social factors which allowed health officials to “lock[ing] up one person in the face of thousands”, and why that one person was “Typhoid Mary” Mary Mallon (Leavitt p. #).
Murphy, Jim. An American Plague: the True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. New York, NY: Clarion Books, 2003. Print.
two hundred million people suffer world wide from Schistosomiasis. It is often misdiagnosed as Typhoid Fever. It is also found in mammals such as cattle and water buffalo.
Salmonella is one of the most common food-borne diseases that attack an enormous amount of people in poor countries every year. It is shown that “Today, it still attacks some 17 million people in poor countries each year, and kills about 600,000 of them. Back before antibiotics such as chloramphenicol, typhoid was very much feared” (Trek 1). Despite the advance in technology and medicine, Salmonella is
In crowded conditions, the rate of infection is even more rapid. The diseases brought over to America were mainly spread by the respiratory method. The pathogenesis of infection is through the ingestion of contaminated food and water. Throughout Europe during the 15th century, food and water were contaminated with fecal matter and by unsanitary habits ( i.e. the lack of bathing). The traumatic route of infection is through insect and animal bites.
The Cholera Epidemic of 1873 in the United States. 43d Cong. , 2d Sess. House. The.
the animals and cattle as well. The disease was so contagious that touching even an object that had
By the 1840’s high rates of disease were ascribed to the housing many of New York’s poverty-stricken immigrants lived in. Fear spread that while disease was rooted in the polluted living conditions of New York’s poorer communities, disease could easily spread to the more well off citizens too. Public health officials realized that the city’s soiled streets and polluted sewers were a health risk to all New Yorkers. In the mid-nineteenth century, New York possessed a primitive sewage system. Poorly planned sewers spanned the city, but most citizens’ homes did not connect to these pipes. Instead, most New Yorkers relied on outdoor outhouses and privies. Because of the high levels of unmanaged waste, epidemics of infectious diseases were commonplace in New York. The city battled outbreaks of smallpox, typhoid, malaria, yellow fever, cholera, and tuberculosis. In 1849, a rash of cholera struck the city, killing more than five thousand people. A wave of typhoid in the mid-1860’s resulted in a similar amount of deaths. Port cities and transportation hubs, like New York, were especially prone to outbursts of infectious diseases because of the high volume of travelers that passed through the city. Americans realized that they were contracting and dying from infectious diseases at an alarming rate, but weren’t entirely sure of why or how. (Web, par. 17,
Imagine a world where there was a great chance of a mother dying right after giving birth to her child. Sounds like a pretty crazy supposition. Unfortunately, not too long ago, that was the world we called home. Nuland’s book discusses the unfortunate tragedies of puerperal fever and the journey the medical field in Europe took to discover a cause and prevention. Hand in hand, Nuland also depicts the life of Ignác Semmelweis, the unknown founder of the aforementioned cause and prevention strategies: washing hands in chloride of lime. The Doctors’ Plague is a worthwhile read based off the information provided, its ability to break new ground, and the credibility of its author and sources.
Lee, E. (2002). A small-pox experience in California. February 1912. The American Journal of Nursing, 102, 2, 5-7.
Salmonella is one danger that has caused many effects to consumers. Walsh writes about one incident when an outbreak “from tainted peanuts that killed at least eight people and sickened 600,” (Walsh 167). This incident left many people asking the same question, how can we trust the food that we put into our bodies? Salmonella, a type of food poisoning caused by bacteria found on different food types has caused an epidemic because of its domino effect on food and our health. Once one factory is contaminated, that factory could be housing both crops and meat, which is then transferred to our supermarkets and on our dinner tables. ...
Salmonella is also a bacterium that is widespread in the intestines of birds, reptiles, and mammals. It can spread to the human species a variety of different ways; through foods or animal origins. Some examples of food involved in outbreaks are eggs, poultry and other meats, raw milk and chocolate. The illnesses it causes are typically fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. In people with poor underlying health or weakened immune...