After visiting a dairy farm one summer afternoon in Utah, threemembers of a family develop fever, abdominal cramping and diarrheawith blood for 3 days. All three patients reported to their doctorthat their symptoms developed the day after visiting the dairy farmwhere they sampled raw milk. Two of the patients (85 year oldfemale and 18 year old male) became severely dehydrated andrequired hospitalization. The female patient died 1 week later ofmultisystem organ failure, related, in part, to gastroenteritis andunderlying medical conditions that she had. The second patient wasgiven IV fluids and antibiotics which resolved his symptoms after 1week. Based on the information provided in this case study, answerthe following questions.
- What organism is the most likely etiologic agent that causedthe infection in this family?
- How was the disease acquired? Explain your answer.
- Describe how this bacterium causes a more severe disease inimmunocompromised individuals.
- Describe the virulence factors associated with thisbacteria.
