Reference no: EM133663488
Problem
Case Study John Taylor is a 68-year-old African-American male with a history of type II diabetes and hypertension who came to the emergency department (ED) triage window because he felt crummy; complaining of a headache, runny nose, feeling more weak, "achy all over" and hot to the touch and sweaty the past two days. When he woke up this morning, he no longer felt hot but began to develop a persistent "nagging cough" that continued to worsen throughout the day. He has difficulty "catching his breath" when he gets up to go the bathroom. John lives in a neighborhood where many similar cases had been detected in the recent past. He mentioned that he attended a local basketball match three days ago where he encountered large crowds from his neighborhood. He was admitted, and treated with intravenous fluid, electrolytes and pain medications. A nasal swab was taken and was submitted to the laboratory for diagnosis. The lab report indicated an infection by a virus called SARS-CoV-2. The virus is transmitted by the respiratory droplet infection. The virus replicates in the epithelial cells of the lower respiratory tract.
A. Explain, using pathophysiology, how the virus could cause a nagging cough and breathlessness.
B. Using your knowledge of normal physiology, explain how the viral infection could affect John's physiologically.
C. Describe several factors probably contributing to disease transmission in this case.
D. Based on your understanding of this virus how can further spread of the virus be prevented in John's neighborhood.
E. Briefly describe similar viruses in the family SARS-COV-2 belongs to.