A sixteen year old boy named Jake was admitted into the emergency room complaining of headache, fever, stiffness of abdominal muscles and difficulty swallowing. The doctor on staff began asking Jake what he had been doing for the past few days.  Jake told the doctor he had gone to school as usual, hung out with his friends at the mall and gone skateboarding in a closed down construction site. Jake mentioned that the only thing he ate this week that was different than his family (who are all feeling fine) was a bean burrito from the local Mexican restaurant. Jake also mentioned that he scratched his leg on some scrap metal a week ago while skateboarding, which he washed well and covered with a bandage. The doctor sent a blood sample to the lab for analysis. The lab results came back showing the presence of gram-positive rods In Jake’s blood.Based on the information presented in the case study, answer the following questions:

1. What microorganism do you believe is to blame for Jake’s illness (be as specific as possible)?

2. What information from the patient’s symptoms contributed to your decision?

3. What information from the patient’s history and/or lab samples that contributed to your decision?

4. Based on what you know about this microorganism, what steps can be taken to treat the illness?

5. Are there any concerns or other complications of this disease?