Reference no: EM132766155
A 35-year old Asian female presents at her primary care physician's office. She is 6 months pregnant and experiencing a fever of 101°F, fatigue, headache, congestion, and muscle aches. The patient started experiencing these symptoms approximately 24h ago and this morning suffered from a bout of diarrhea and nausea with some GI cramping. The physician ordered a rapid influenza test which came back negative. A blood sample was taken and revealed the presence of Gram positive, flagellated coccobacilli that grew on an agar plate within a 24h incubation period.
The patient's history revealed she is married with one child who attends daycare while she is at work as an investment banker. Her hobbies include cross stitch, yoga, and playing the violin. While being questioned by her doctor, she reported that she typically cooks at home but that her family went to her favorite Mexican restaurant last week where she enjoyed chicken enchiladas smothered in queso blanco.
-What is your diagnosis in this case and what is the causative agent?
-How did the patient acquire the infection and is there a concern for an outbreak?
-If yes, how could you determine if it was a point-source epidemic or a common-source epidemic?
-Does this infection pose any threat to the fetus and why?
-If so, what could occur if she does not receive treatment?