Reference no: EM132635735
From The Microbe Files: Cases in Microbiology for the Undergraduate. Cowan, Marjorie Kelly. pp 31-32, 41 Benjamin Cummings 2002
You are an emergency medical technician and are called to the home of Kevin, a 13-week old boy who has become listless and is having trouble breathing. The parents report that Kevin used to smile, but lately he has not smiled, nor has he had other noticeable facial expressions in the last two days. Kevin's eyes are open when you arrive, but he does not seem to be focusing. You place your outstretched finger under his fingers and he fails to grasp it. You lift his foot and it drops back to the mattress. The parents report that he has not had a bowel movement in 3 to 4 days.
- What is your suspicion, based on what seem to be nervous system symptoms?
- If this is indeed the case, do you start treatment here at Kevin's home, or should you transport him to the local hospital?
-What should be administered to Kevin at the earliest opportunity?
-How do babies acquire this condition?
-Although the diagnosis should be confirmed with laboratory tests, the tests should probably not be performed in the hospital lab. Why not?