Infectious Diseases : Infectious Disease

2644 Words6 Pages

522 Infectious Disease Project

Rush Royals

Natalia Rich, Amy Richards, Ryan Rickley, Brianne Riley, and Nicole Roehrig

Identify the components of the Chain of Infection and specify Modes of Transmission to the development of the following infectious diseases: Ebola, Legionnaire’s Disease, Toxic Shock Syndrome. For each disease, identify the methods of “breaking” the chain of infection. (This section may not exceed 3000 words)

Ebola

Disease Description

Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 in Africa near the Ebola River Valley; this rare virus causes hemorrhagic fever and has been active in that region resulting in mortality rates of up to 90% (Sullivan, Yang, & Nabel, 2003). Until recently, the Ebola virus had not been seen in the United States.

Chain of Infection

The Ebola chain of infection begins with the resevoir of the infectious agent. Although information is known about the disease and its course of action, the natural host or reservoir of Ebola has yet to be identified. Scientists believe that animals such as bats, monkeys, chimpanzees, and gorillas are the cause of spreading the virus to humans (WHO, 2014). Currently, primates and humans are the only mammals known to become infected with the virus (CDC, 2014a). The disease causing agent for the Ebola virus derives from the virus family, Filoviridae, which has five identified species: Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus); Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus); Taï Forest virus (Taï Forest ebolavirus, formerly Côte d’Ivoire ebolavirus); Bundibugyo virus (Bundibugyo ebolavirus); and Reston virus (Reston ebolavirus). The first four have documented cases affecting humans, but the fifth species is only known to cause disease in primates (CDC, 2014a). The portal of exit for th...

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Mayo Clinic. (2014a). Disease and conditions- Legionnaire’s disease. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/legionnaires-disease/basics/risk-factors/con-20028867

Mayo Clinic (2014b). Disease and conditions- Toxic shock syndrome. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000273.htm

Scub, T., & Winn, E. (2005). Quick lesson: Toxic shock syndrome. Cinhal Information Systems. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.rush.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=163b920a-312f-4936-b7cf-5b93e17da59d%40sessionmgr4001&vid=37&hid=4212

Sullivan, N., Yang, Z., & Nabel, G. (2003). Ebola virus pathogenesis: Implications for vaccines and therapies. Journal of Virology. 77(18), pg 9733-9737.

World Health Organization (2014). Ebola virus disease. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/

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