Essay on Week 7 Assignment- Foodborne Illness Short Answer Questions

First the etiologic agent of salmonella; Salmonella gastroenteritis is the infectious agent that causes salmonella. It is transmitted through vehicle transmission, meaning it travels from place to place on something (contaminated meat for example).

Staphylococcus aureus is a gram positive bacterium. It is accountable for numerous conditions when it crosses the threshold into the human body. The bacterium may also be referred to as a ‘Staph infection’. There are more than 28 different types of staphylococcus aureus that are responsible for cellulitis, blood poisoning, and various others. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is also a type of staphylococcus aureus. Staph infections are curable with different antibiotics.

MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) is one of the most recent superbugs to become a health problem. MRSA is a species of Staphylococcus Aureus that is resistant to the antibiotic methicillin and antibiotics like it. Doctors are struggling to find proper treatment because of its resistance to the beta-lactam ring, the core of most antibiotics. The most lethal strain is the CC398 strain, most commonly found on livestock. There are approximately 80,000 invasive MRSA infections and 11,000 deaths every year. (CNN.com)

MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and is a bacterial infection that is highly resistant to some antibiotics. In short, antibiotics have been used since the 40's to stop the growth of bacteria. However, the more antibiotics are used, the quicker the bacteria become resistant to it while each year more types of bacteria adapt and become resistant to antibiotics. With MRSA being so resistant to many of the antibiotics, classifying it as a “super-bug”, it makes treatment of skin infections and invasive internal infections much more complicated. This leads to many yearly deaths. In fact, MRSA statistics show that more people die each year from MRSA infections than the

Staphylococcus aureus is a cluster bacterium that can be found on the skin of around 25% of healthy adults. This bacterium is growing everyday all over the world and many people have no idea they are even carriers. “Staphylococcus aureus is present in the nose of adults (temporarily in 60% and permanently in 20 to 30%) and sometimes on the skin” (Levison). This bacterium has the ability to cause skin infection and sometimes may lead to severe life threatening diseases. There are several different strains of staphylococcus and depending on the severity of the infection is how a health care provider decides the treatment most efficient. Impetigo is more common in children, but adults still have the chance of getting this skin condition. Toxic Shock Syndrome is also associated with S. aureus and is found in at least 50% of the cases to date. S. aureus can display a variety of symptoms and all vary with the disease at hand. Symptoms can range from a boil on the skin or in the nose to skin rashes. More severe symptoms can be carbuncles and infection of the blood (sepsis).Staphylococcus aureus is an ugly bacterium; that can lead to several diseases, such as Toxic Shock Syndrome and Impetigo. S. aureus has multiple symptoms and is treated with a variety of antibiotics.

The most common symptom of having a staph infection are skin infections such as red swollen areas on the skin with boil like spots that usually are either full of pus or drain often. But some of the worst symptoms of staph can occur when it enters the bloodstream. When the bacteria spreads to the bloodstream it is known as bacteremia or sepsis and this can cause heart failure and if the infection goes into the bones it can cause osteomyelitis which is severe inflammation of bones. Staphylococcal sepsis in people has a mortality rate of over 80% (Stoppler).

Staph infection comes in different types and may cause disease due to direct infection or production of toxins by the bacteria. Boils, impetigo, food poisoning, cellulitis, and toxic shock syndrome are all examples of diseases that can be caused by Staphylococcus [2]. MRSA is a form of bacterial infection that is resistant to numerous antibiotics including methicillin, amoxicillin, penicillin and oxacillin, thus making it challenging to treat the infection [3].

Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen found mainly on skin, nose and respiratory tract 1 The gram positive facultative anaerobe is round. Transmission occurs through humans or animals, exposure to contaminated surfaces or enterotoxins presence in food 2 . Most susceptible are newborns, young children and the elderly due to reduced immune function 3, 4. Immunocompromised individuals diagnosed ( ie. AIDS, HIV, Crohn’s etc.) assume greater risk of infection 3, 5 . S. aureus causes many diseases including food poisoning, endocarditis, skin/soft tissue (enterotoxin caused scaled skin and abscess) and pleuropulmonary infections (ex. pneumonia), osteomyelitis, septic arthritis and bacteremia 2, 3. In health care settings S. aureus colonies

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria are resistant to all beta-lactam antibiotics such as methicillin, penicillin, oxacillin, and amoxicillin. Sometimes called a “super-bug” because of its ability to resist so many of our antibiotics. MRSA can be fatal and according to the CDC, of the over 80,000 invasive MRSA infections every year, 11,285 related deaths occur. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become the bacteria of this decade.

S. aureus is a Gram-positive coccus where the round cells arranged in irregular grape-like (Greek staphyle) clusters.1 They can both have aerobic and anaerobic respiration and most strains ferment mannitol anaerobically. It is distinguished from other staphylococcal species on the basis of golden (Latin aureum) or white colonies on blood agar and positive results of coagulase, mannitol-fermentation and deoxyribonuclease tests.6 S. aureus is one of the major baterial that can be found on people’s skin and in their nose. Usually it does not cause any harm. But if staphylococcus gets into the body, it will causes skin, soft tissue and bone infections. The infections can be minor or serious that may even lead to death. However, there is one-fourth of healthy people who carry it asymptomatically.2 The main treatment of S. aureus infections are antibiotics and surgical drainage, but the emergence of antibiotic-resistance of S. aureus to penicillin, methicillin and other agents has compromised therapy.2

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium mainly found on the skin and the human respiratory tracts.1 This bacterium is the cause of skin infections like boils and pimples, infections of respiratory tracts (sinusitis) and food poisoning.2 First identified in 1880 as pus from a surgical abscess, Staphylococcus aureus was treated with penicillin which was a “magic drug” when first introduced during the Second World War. Some of these bacteria then evolved, to be resistant to penicillin. Due to this, doctors treated these bacteria with more powerful antibiotics, against which also it grew resistant.1 Antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Methicillin, initially used for treatment, is a marker of antibiotic resistance.4 Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is any strain of Staphylococcus aureus which, through the process of natural selection, has developed resistance to antibiotics.1

As antibiotic resistance has become a major concern in public health, multi-drug resistant “Staphylococci.aureus” appears to be the most prevalent pathogen that is responsible for nosocomial infection across the globe and recently labelled as a “Super bug”. Staphylococci are Gram-positive, facultative aerobic microorganisms and present mostly transiently on the skin or anterior nares in approximately 20 to 30 % of healthy adult individuals. Among 30 different types of staphylococci which causes infection in human, Staph.aureus is regarded as one the major pathogen in both medicine and food safety. There is a wide variety of infection caused by Staph.aureus and most of them are skin infections and other includes pneumonia, endocarditis, osteomyelitis,

Foodborne diseases are an important public health problems in United States causing numerous illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths of people. Along with this, these diseases can cause substantial amount of burden through long term complications and sequelae. Understanding the overall human health impact of these diseases is a prime key to prioritize food safety policies and interventions. Hoffmann et al. (2012) and Scallan et al. (2015), both explores the overall impact of foodborne disease caused by major leading foodborne pathogens in United States measuring the annual cost of illnesses and loss of Quality Life Years. Hoffmann et al. (2012) emphasize 14 of the major foodborne pathogens whereas Scallan et al. (2015) emphasize only seven of

The release of two exotoxins from certain strains of S. aureus can lead to Staphylococcal scaled skin syndrome (SSSS), which is characterized by blistering skin. Invasion into the body can lead to more serious health problems including pneumonia (a frequent complication of influenza), mastitis, phlebitis (inflammation of the veins), meningitis, and urinary tract infections. If the bacterium is allowed to colonize even deeper tissues more serious conditions such as osteomyelitis and endocarditis may result. The most serious consequences of these deeper tissue infections occur when the bacterium invades the bloodstream leading to septic shock and possibly death.

With this worksheet, first choose one of the following foodborne illnesses to complete the assignment: