Problem

1) On July 8, a woman was given an antibiotic for presumptive sinusitis. However, her condition worsened, and she was unable to eat for 4 days because of severe pain and tightness for the jaw. On July 12, she was admitted to a hospital with severe facial spasms. She reported that on July 5, she had incurred a puncture wound at the base of her big toe; she cleaned the wound but did not seek medical attention. What caused her symptoms? Was her condition due to an infection or an intoxication? Can she transmit this condition to another person?

2) Explain whether each of the following examples is a food infection or intoxication. What is the probable etiological agent in each case?

a) Eighty-two people who ate shrimp in Louisiana developed diarrhea, nausea, headache, and fever from 4 hours to 2 days after eating

b) Two people in Vermont who ate barracuda caught in florida developed malaise, nausea, blurred vision, breathing difficulty, and numbness 3 to 6 hours after eating.

3) Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy are normally more susceptible to infections. However, a patient receiving an anti tumor drug that inhibited cell division was resistant to salmonella. Provide a possible mechanism for the resistance.