The surgical ward at a public hospital was having an outbreak of diarrheal illness. The patients...

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The surgical ward at a public hospital was having an outbreak ofdiarrheal illness. The patients with the illness had all hadsurgery and were taking antibiotics as preventative measure toprevent infection. Symptoms of the disease cramping, numerousbloody stools and inflammation of the colon. A Gram positive,endospore forming bacillus was isolated from 25 patients. Three ofthese patients died.
a. What was the probable â€œetiologicalâ€ agent (pathogen)?
b. What is the most likely source of his infection, and howwould you verify this?
c. Determine if the illness was due to an intoxication or aninfection and give the information you based your answer on.
d. What was the probable treatment protocol for this illness?(how were they treated
e. Explain how this outbreak could have been prevented.

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Answer a Clostridium difficile infection Clues to the diagnosis History of surgery History of antibiotics given mostly these patients were prescribed broad spectrum antibiotics The human gut contains bacteria that help in the process of digestion these bacteria are good bacteria or commensals They also prevent the growth of pathogenic bacteria in the gut Indiscriminate antibiotics usage causes death of these good bacteria As a result pathogenic bacteria like clostridium difficile grow in See Answer

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