Imagine a rare, life-threating complication of a simple bacteria, causing many awful symptoms. One may have bleeding, bruising, diarrhea, and much more – all of which could resemble another aliment. However, with a simple culture that reveals one certain type of bacteria, one may be look at something much more serious. Toxic shock syndrome fittingly earns the name “syndrome” in its title as syndrome refers to “a disease that cause a variety of ailments” (1). As mentioned previously, toxic shock syndrome does just that. It may present itself with common symptoms, but a culture will reveal much more. Specifically, a culture will reveal the unnerving bacteria of none other than either Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogens. Both of these bacterium cause what is known as toxic shock syndrome with the only difference in being their initial symptoms. Toxic shock syndrome has been documented to have been first recorded by the Greek physician Hippocrates who lived about 460-377 B.C. (1). However, toxic shock syndrome was questioned and remained a mystery for hundreds of years later. Toxic shock syndrome was thought to be “an obscure disease limited to a particular population of people in which the disease predictably appeared” (1). In the 1900s, toxic shock syndrome became a disease associated with trauma. This trauma may have been from car accidents, industrial mishaps, or even war injuries, but no one person could figure it out entirely. Annually, toxic shock syndrome affects _____.
Characteristics
Whenever someone hears the phrase, “toxic shock syndrome”, they think of tampons. Most people associate this syndrome with tampons because tampon boxes clearly warn toxic shock syndrome as a possible condition that can result in the ...
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... and quickly grow. Secondly, invasins help the bacteria spread in the host’s tissues. An invasion is a protein that acts locally to damage host cells to facilitate the growth and spread of the pathogen. More simply, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogens have a small army of invasins that basically attack the host very quickly and spread the bacteria out far – into the blood and organs. Another virulence factor of both Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogens is their cellular secretions. The secretions include antigens, enzymes, and toxins that assist with various functions needed to feed the bacteria and fend off the host’s immune defences.
Disease Symptoms
Symptoms of toxic shock syndrome vary from case to case. Additionally, the symptoms vary also based on whether the toxic shock was caused from Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogens.
However with septic shock the symptoms may be worse as the patient may experience tachyeordia and tachypnae, leucocytosis which is a high count of white blood cells, change in metal state for example confusion and hyperglycaemia which is a deficiency of glucose in the bloodstream. The diagnosis of sepsis and septic shock involves using blood cultures, which is where bacteria is detected in blood which may have spread from a different part of the body. Blood cultures are mostly taken on new-borns and young children who have the symptoms of sepsis. If the blood culture tests positive, there is a bacterial or fungal infection which needs to be treated immediately as it is life-threatening.
Another aspect of the story is associated with Major Nancy Jaax. She is a member of USAMRIID or United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. USAMRIID does research on different w...
Shaken baby syndrome or SBS according to google is, “an injury to a baby caused by being shaken violently and repeatedly.” 80% of babies who have SBS suffer from lifelong disabilities. These disabilities include speech and learning disabilities, seizures, hearing loss, and sometimes can result in death. Shaken baby syndrome is very dangerous, and can be avoided. Parents should be informed on the long lasting effects of shaken baby syndrome. There are designated classes to take, so people can be aware of the effects of SBS and what to do when a baby has been shook. Even if you’re not a parent, it is still encouraged for any caregiver or babysitter, or anyone who deals with infants on a daily basis, to take this class to be aware. Most times SBS occurs when a baby is 6 months or younger.
Many great historical figures of the scientific community have written on the subject of the same perplexing disease over the centuries (Angus, van der Poll, Finfer, Vincent 2013). Sepsis has been given many names, origins, and etiologies. In the 4th century, Hippocrates declared the disease the cause of organic decomposition, wound festering, and swamp gas (Angus et al. 2013). During the 19th century, Louis Pasteur theorized the disease was the outcome of a pathogenic microorganism in the bloodstream, which resulted in a body-wide infection (Angus et al. 2013). In the 21st century, the medical community made a breakthrough with the discovery of the disease’s link to the inflammatory response system and devised a plan of action to combat the high mortality rates among those infected (Angus et al. 2013). According to Hotchkiss, Monneret, & Payen (2013) the effects of sepsis are well documented, while the molecular processes it utilizes are still being explored; however, new studies are helping to expand our understanding of the centuries old disease.
Even though S. aureus is mainly associated with food poisoning, the bacterium can penetrate the skin or other mucous membranes to invade a range of tissues which will cause a variety of infections. Superficial infection of the skin can cause boils, impetigo, styes (infection of the glands or hair follicles of the eyelids), folliculitis, and furnacles. All of these infections are charac...
Forensic toxicology is one of the oldest disciplines in forensic science history and dates back hundreds of years. However, the actual understanding and examination of forensic toxicology only dates back for about 200 years. Due to the development of technology, this discipline has been able to progress and flourish.
E. Coli 0157, written by Mary Heersink, is a nerve-racking, adrenaline-filled story of a mother's experience with a then unknown deadly bacteria. The book brings up many reactions in its readers, especially the questioning of the practice of doctors in hospitals. The reader's knowledge base of scientific procedures in emergency centers was widened as well as the knowledge of how to the human body reacts to different agents in its system.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are the extremely traumatic events that take place in an individual’s childhood that negatively affect their future attempts to succeed in life. ACEs include enduring physical and verbal abuse, living in dysfunction and over exposure to violent and criminal behavior. It was determined that children who are in the child welfare system are more likely to suffer ACEs and develop physical and mental health issues as well as engage in risky behavior (Brown & Shillington, 2017); children who suffer ACEs also have lower self-efficacy than other children. In all of the research prior to this study, much of the focus was on the psychological and behavioral outcomes of ACEs and what children were more susceptible to them. The problem that the researchers in this study have identified is that in no prior research has anyone
Sepsis is defined as an exaggerated, overwhelming and uncontrolled systemic inflammatory response to an initially localised infection or tissue injury, which may lead to severe sepsis and septic shock if left untreated (Daniels, 2009; Robson & Daniels, 2013; Dellinger et al, 2013; Perman, Goyal & Gaieski, 2012; Vanzant & Schmelzer, 2011). Septic shock can be classified by acute circulatory failure as a result of massive vasodilation, increased capillary permeability and decreased vascular resistance in the body, causing refractory hypotension despite adequate fluid resuscitation. This leads to irreversible tissue ischaemia, end organ failure and ultimately, death (McClelland & Moxon, 2014; Sagy, Al-Qaqaa & Kim, 2013, Dellinger et al, 2013).
Streptococcus pyogenes is thought to live benignly within one in five people, and is thusly one of the most common pathogens among humans. Due to its common
In the documentary, Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria, reporter David Hoffman investigates this new untreatable infection along two individuals and a bacterial virus within a hospital. The first individual Hoffman investigates is Addie Rerecich of Arizona, she was treated for a staph infection with antibiotics, but other complications arise. Addie had a lung transplant, she was given several different antibiotics, but her body became pan-bacteria, non-resistance to the bacteria. Addie’s life was on the edge, she had to be on life support, and finally she received new lungs. The transplant helped Addie but it would take years before could go back to normal before the infection. The second individual is David Ricci; he had his leg amputated in India after a train accident. The antibiotic treatment he received became toxic to his body increasing problems. While in India, he underwent surgery almost every day because of infections he was developing. Back in Seattle, doctors found the NDM-1 resistance gene in his body; NDM-1 gene is resistance to almost all antib...
Pulmonary contusions are another consequence from trauma to the chest, possibly not as severe as examples prior, but still dangerous. A pulmonary contusion is usually due to a blunt trauma to the thoracic cavity; the trauma causes blood to accumulate in the lung tissues and alveoli without lacerating the lung tissues. The lungs swell with the blood in the tissues, like a contusion anywhere else on the surface of the body, hence the term, “bruised lung.” With a pulmonary contusion, the patient will present, “...Tachypnea and tachycardia; while auscultating, rales and decreased breath sounds can be heard. Wheezing, coughing, and productive blood streaked sputum can be present; hypotension and reduced cardiac output accompany. Respiratory distress
Blunt force trauma is defined as a traumatic event caused by the introduction of any blunt instrument forcefully, causing injury to the body or head. The Severity of injury is determined by various factors. It may be due to mechanical force such as compression, traction, torsion or shear. Impact of the injury and severity depends on object and movement of victim. Injuries occurred may be internal such as lacerations of internal tissues, organs, fractures of bones or may be external such as abrasion, avulsion, contusion and laceration (Pollak & Saukko, 2009). Severity also depends on anatomical site impacted for ex: Lacerations have irregular margin, hanging causes abrasions, contusions and hyoid bone fractures, Ocular hemorrhages in case of blunt trauma to eyes or Fracture of ribs when hit on chest by a blunt object (Ressel, Hetzel, & Ricci, 2016). Severity is also determined by the duration of time and amount of force applied. Nature of trauma is of importance in forensic medicine. It helps in
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the question of economic reform was extremely prevalent. Since the Soviet Union had been “defeated,” Communism was consequently defeated. This resulted in Western powers, particularly the United States, and Western banks debating what should be done to the post-Soviet economies. At the same time, however, non-Soviet states were also undergoing economic transitions. The two main modes of economic reform were Shock Therapy and Gradual therapy. Shock therapy consisted of a rapid-fire shift from a Communist economy to a capitalist one. Shock therapy was notably practiced in Russia and Poland, with tremendously different results. The most well-known gradualist transition may have been China, but
Accidents occur in the workplace but in secret. These most of the time lead to physical and mental injuries that might affect the worker way of living for the rest of their lives. It is estimated that more than 337 million workers get injured in their place of work or in the course of work every year leading to work-related diseases causing about 2.3 million deaths per year (United States Department of Labor, n.d.).