Medical Diagnoses Case: The Organisms Causing Symptoms

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STUDY CASE
In medical diagnoses, it is critical to consider every detail of a patient’s history. In the case of the Homeland Security agent, her history shows that she had a cut while inspecting containers that had previously been used to transport frozen seafood. Going by differential diagnosis, the patient observes some red streaks after two weeks, and the streaks originate from her cut going up her arm. Despite receiving her first antibiotic therapy, the symptoms did not subside; instead, her condition worsened and the red streaks that were once small began to form lumps that resembled enlarged lymph nodes (Bailey and Kroshinsky 229-239). After sometime, the lumps went ahead to open up and drain pus. Symptoms start after an organism enters into the body system and acquire the right environment for incubation – in the agent’s case, it is two weeks. After this incubation period, symptoms begin to manifest. The most common bacterial pathogens related to such symptoms include those in the genera Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. These bacteria are known to cause a skin condition known as cellulitis because of their ability to penetrate skin tissues exposed during a bite or cut. Common bacterial pathogens notorious for similar skin conditions and symptoms include: Staphylococcusaureus, which belongs to the genus Staphylococcus and Streptococcuspyogenes. Therefore, the organisms responsible for the patient’s symptoms are S. aureus and S. pyogenes.
The agent acquired this infection – cellulitis – through the small cut she sustained while on her inspection duties. The S. aureus and S. pyogenes got an opportunity to enter into the body through the crack of the skin left by the cut. When the pathogens have entered, they require an incubation period, which is defined as the time difference between first exposure to a pathogenic organism and the period when the first signs or symptoms appear. In most cases, however, there are risk factors that predispose individuals to greater possibilities of developing cellulitis. These factors include: any cut, burn, fracture, or scrape to the skin; a weakened immune system; chronic skin conditio...