Choose 2 of the following topics and type one page (single-sided) for each topic. Please work independently on this project and include references such as textbooks, CDC or NIH websites, medical websites or others. If a book or journal article is referenced, please list page numbers so I can find the reference. References do not count against the page limit. These essays should be your own written words about what you find.

1. How does Helicobacter pylori cause gastritis and potentially stomach cancer? How does it survive in the stomach (what bacterial factors contribute to its survival)? What types of damage does it cause in the stomach? What mediates that damage (bacterial and host factors)? How was H. pylori first identified as the causative agent of gastric ulcers? Who performed these key experiments and how? How are H. pylori infections treated?

2. What is hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)? With what types of infections is it associated? Who is most susceptible to HUS? What bacterial factor is key for development of HUS? How does that bacterial factor work and why does it specifically damage the kidneys? How does kidney damage lead to hemolysis of red blood cells? How is HUS treated?

3. What are the characteristics of the disease cholera and which organism causes the disease? What is the key virulence factor that leads to watery diarrhea of cholera? How does that virulence factor affect cells? How is cholera treated? How many people have acquired cholera during the current epidemic in Haiti following the earthquake in 2010? What is believed to be the source of cholera for that ongoing epidemic, since cholera was unknown in Haiti before the earthquake.

4. Describe the various stages of syphilis? What are the symptoms of the initial stages of syphilis infection? At what stages are patients infectious to others? Are there mucosal lesions associated with syphilis infection? If so, where are they often present? How does syphilis infection lead to dementia and other neurological disorders years or even decades after infection?

5. What are the various stages of Lyme's Disease? How does it lead to neurological and cardiac symptoms in later stages of disease? What was the formulation of the Lyme's disease vaccine (what antigens were present)? Why was it withdrawn? What is the current treatment for Lyme's disease?

6. What is pseudomembranous candidiasis? How is it diagnosed? What are some hallmark symptoms of oral candidiasis? Who is most susceptible to oral candidiasis? What is the typical treatment for oral candidiasis? What is the microbial target of that medication (how does the medication work)?