Welcome back to Mystery Case Monday! We will be posting a hypothetical case every week to get our pre-health students thinking about various clinical issues and the anatomical/physiological causes that underlie them. Join us in the comments section to share your insights and tentative diagnoses, then check back on Friday to read about the diagnosis and recommended treatments of these cases.
This week's hypothetical patient has been experiencing watery diarrhea with frequent (often explosive) bowel movements, bloating, fatigue, and nausea over the last week and a half. The patient's physician did a physical examination and order an analysis of our patient's stool. The physician informed the patient that there has been a local outbreak of people exhibiting similar symptoms and that they would be testing the patient's stool for a specific pathogen. Like many other patients with similar symptoms, this patient reported eating a salad from a local fast-food chain a few weeks ago. The lab found relatively large oocysts that demonstrated a blue autofluorescence under ultraviolet epiflouorescence microscopy. These results confirmed the presence of the suspected pathogen. The physician prescribed trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and told the patient to rest and get plenty of fluids.
Thought Questions:
This week's hypothetical patient has been experiencing watery diarrhea with frequent (often explosive) bowel movements, bloating, fatigue, and nausea over the last week and a half. The patient's physician did a physical examination and order an analysis of our patient's stool. The physician informed the patient that there has been a local outbreak of people exhibiting similar symptoms and that they would be testing the patient's stool for a specific pathogen. Like many other patients with similar symptoms, this patient reported eating a salad from a local fast-food chain a few weeks ago. The lab found relatively large oocysts that demonstrated a blue autofluorescence under ultraviolet epiflouorescence microscopy. These results confirmed the presence of the suspected pathogen. The physician prescribed trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and told the patient to rest and get plenty of fluids.Thought Questions:
What is the most likely diagnosis for this patient?
How would a stool examination confirm this diagnosis?
What are the anatomical structures involved in this clinical issue?
What are the physiological impacts of being infected with this pathogen?
Why did the physician recommended for our patient to rest and get plenty of fluids?
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