Bio106 Introduction To Microbiology And Infectious Diseases

Bio106 Introduction To Microbiology Infectious Disease Research Paper

Choose a microbe that has been in the news recently or one you are interested in researching. You may choose a bacterium, virus, prion, viroid, fungi or protozoa. The microbe you choose must have a clinical application, but can also have industrial, agricultural, ecological or research applications as well.

Research your chosen microbe using reliable sources such as the CDC, Bergey’s Manual of Bacteria, or scientific journals. Wikipedia and other .com sites are not permitted unless explicitly approved by your instructor. You must provide a list of references in APA format, with a minimum of three sources.

Locate and include the following information in your report:

  • a. The organism’s genus and species (if applicable)
  • b. Its taxonomic hierarchy—Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, species
  • c. The disease or problem it causes, its environmental role, or its application
  • d. The microbe’s type (e.g., bacteria, virus) along with specific details such as size, shape, staining properties, genetic information
  • e. Preferred portal of entry—how it infects hosts, transmission mechanisms, and how it leaves the host
  • f. Distinguishing features—what makes this microbe important or unique
  • g. Pathogenesis—how it causes disease, signs and symptoms of infection
  • h. Treatment options or control measures if used for other purposes
  • i. Prevention strategies where applicable—how infection or spread is prevented or managed
  • j. Personal interest aspect—why did you choose this microbe, and what drew your attention to it
  • k. A properly formatted list of references in APA style

The report should be written in a lively, enthusiastic tone, as if presenting a report or news segment. It should be 3-4 pages long, using 12-point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins. Grading will consider content, formatting, grammar, and organization. The due date is Monday, April 20th.

Paper For Above instruction

For this research paper, I have chosen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacterium that has garnered significant attention due to its role in causing tuberculosis (TB), a major global health concern. This pathogen’s distinctive characteristics, its pathogenic mechanisms, and its ongoing impact make it a compelling subject of study.

Microbe Identification:

Genus and Species: Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Taxonomic Hierarchy: Kingdom: Bacteria; Phylum: Actinobacteria; Class: Actinobacteria; Order: Mycobacteriales; Family: Mycobacteriaceae; Genus: Mycobacterium; Species: tuberculosis

Type and Morphology:

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a rod-shaped (bacillus), facultative intracellular pathogen measuring approximately 2–4 micrometers in length. It exhibits acid-fast staining properties due to its high lipid content in the cell wall, which includes mycolic acids. The bacterium's unique cell wall structure confers resistance to many common disinfectants and antibiotics, complicating treatment.

Disease and Environmental Role:

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent of tuberculosis, primarily affecting the lungs but capable of disseminating to other organs. Characterized by symptoms such as chronic cough, hemoptysis, fever, night sweats, and weight loss, TB remains one of the top infectious killers worldwide. In the environment, M. tuberculosis persists within aerosols expelled from infected hosts and can survive for hours outside the host in droplets, facilitating airborne transmission.

Transmission and Portal of Entry:

The microbe primarily transmits via airborne particles—droplet nuclei inhaled into the lungs. Once inhaled, the bacteria reach the alveoli, where they are phagocytosed by macrophages. The bacteria's ability to survive and replicate within macrophages helps them evade initial immune responses and establish infection. The bacteria leave the host through cough-generated aerosols, thus perpetuating transmission.

Distinguishing Features:

Mycobacterium tuberculosis’s acid-fast cell wall makes it resistant to decolorization during Ziehl-Neelsen staining, a key diagnostic feature. Its slow growth rate—taking 3–6 weeks in culture—also distinguishes it from other bacteria. Its ability to establish latent infections and reactivate later underscores its importance in clinical microbiology.

Pathogenesis and Symptoms:

The bacteria cause disease through the formation of granulomas—organized immune cell aggregates—that contain the infection. Symptoms include persistent cough, chest pain, night sweats, and weight loss. The immune response includes Th1-mediated immunity, which, while controlling infection, contributes to tissue damage characteristic of active TB.

Treatment and Control:

TB treatment involves prolonged courses (minimum six months) of antibiotics such as isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide. Multidrug-resistant TB strains complicate treatment, necessitating second-line drugs and increased surveillance. Vaccination with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) offers some protection, especially in children, but does not prevent adult pulmonary TB effectively.

Prevention Strategies:

Airborne infection control measures include proper ventilation, respiratory protection (masks), early detection, and treatment of active cases. Public health efforts focus on vaccination, screening, and treatment to reduce transmission. Hospitals and clinics implement strict isolation protocols to curb nosocomial spread.

Personal Interest and Rationale:

I selected Mycobacterium tuberculosis because of its profound impact on global health and its complex interaction with the immune system. The ongoing challenge of multidrug-resistant strains and the potential for latent infections fascinated me, especially as TB remains a leading cause of death despite being treatable and preventable.

References

  1. World Health Organization. (2020). Global tuberculosis report 2020. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240013131
  2. Zhang, Y. (2005). The magic bullets and TB drug resistance. New England Journal of Medicine, 353(7), 694–696. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp058174
  3. Brennan, P. J., & Nikaido, H. (1995). The envelope of mycobacteria. Annual Review of Biochemistry, 64, 29–63. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.bi.64.070195.000329
  4. Colditz, G. A., & Dice, J. (2004). Tuberculosis: The classic disease of poverty. PLoS Medicine, 1(1), e20. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0010020
  5. Chakravorty, S., et al. (2009). Recent advances in microbiology diagnostics in tuberculosis. Clin Microbiol Rev, 22(3), 475–495. https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.00004-09
  6. Ryan, G., et al. (2019). The immunology of latent tuberculosis infection. Frontiers in Immunology, 10, 2214. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.02214
  7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Tuberculosis (TB). https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/default.htm
  8. SBlock, R., & Van Rie, A. (2018). Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: Epidemiology and management. Vaccines, 6(4), 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines6040086
  9. Cristofoletti, P. C., et al. (2017). Advances in TB vaccine development. Tuberculosis, 106, 80–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tube.2016.10.018
  10. Nelson, M., et al. (2021). The future of tuberculosis vaccine development. Vaccine, 39(42), 6103–6114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.04.043

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