Case Studies

Question 1

The 20 year old, was not able to get all his childhood vaccines because of the cancer chemotherapy he had as a child. After a trip to Oregon, he had a high fever and dry cough. He noticed tiny white spots with bluish/white enter of a flat rash.

Answer 1

Morbillivirus (Measles)

Question 2

The patient was from a developing country had bloody mucusy diarrhea, had the sensation of needing to pass stool when they didn’t. The patient died at the end.

Answer 2

Shigella dysenterie (Shigellosis)

Question 3

In 2016, the patients parents had traveled to South America. They had a lot of fun hiking and camping in a jungle. After many miscarriages, the patient’s mom finally successfully had her, but she she was born, she had many birth defects.

Answer 3

Zika Virus (Zika)

Question 4

The patient is complaining of fever and chills with a headache and is so tired that they can barely walk to the bathroom.

Answer 4

Influenza Virus (Flu)

Question 5

After a fun weekend of dancing. His friends and him shared drinks all weekend. On Tuesday morning, the 20 year old woke up to a headache and fever. Later that day he noticed his lymph nodes starting to swell and his throat hurting. When he went to the doctor, the doctor noted while pustules in the back of his throat.

Answer 5

Group A Streptococcus (Strep throat)

Question 6

A boy came across a skunk in the middle of the day. He played with the skunk and got bit. A few weeks later he still felt the location he got bit at. He also was very restless. When he started having difficulties swallowing and drooling the parent took him to the doctor.

Answer 6

Rabies Virus (Rabies)

Question 7

The patient went to Ethiopia and ate a lot of street food. About a mont after they got back from their trip they started to have dark urine, fever and clay colored stool. After a few more weeks their skin started to have a yellow tint.

Answer 7

Hepatitis A Virus (Hepatitis A)

Question 8

The 7 year old boy presented with a rash that was rings of a variety of widths after spending the night at his friend’s birthday party and playing with their cat and dogs all night.

Answer 8

Microsporum (Ringworm)

Question 9

The 8 year old had fluid filled vesicles on their face. This rash did not hurt, but itched.

Answer 9

Varicella Zoster virus (Chicken pox)

Question 10

A promiscuous male patient had panful urination. His female partner has no symptoms.

Answer 10

Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Gonorrhea)

Question 11

The patient went to bed before a final exam with a little tinging in their lips, they woke up with a small bump on their lower lip, but by the end of the week the bump turned into an oozing blister.

Answer 11

Herpes Simplex 1 (Herpes/fever blister)

Question 12

After a trip camping in Africa, the patient came back with lots of bug bites. Her lymph nodes near these bites became swollen. The lymph nodes became more swollen over a couple of days and eventually she started having black dots near the bites.

Answer 12

Yersinia pestos (Bubonic Plague)

Question 13

Your friend’s baby has been coughing so much they are vomiting. He is very concerned because the baby also appears to be losing consciousness after coughing spells.

Answer 13

Bordetella pertussis (Whooping cough (Pertussis))

Question 14

As an avid hunter the women ate a lot of deer, turkey and antelope. She went to the doctor after she woke up vomiting, sweating, a high fever, and sensitivity to light.

Answer 14

Trichinella spirali (Trichinosis)

Question 15

The patient camped in the Boundary Water’s canoe area. They are practicing organic living and do not use bug spray or suntan lotion. They come home burnt and have a bull’s eye rash. Week’s later they start to have a stiff neck and neurological symptoms.

Answer 15

Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease)

Question 16

A 60 year old has extreme pain coming from a rash on one side of their body. They remember a mild case as a child of a similar rash but no pain.

Answer 16

Varicella zoster virus (Shingles)

Question 17

A little girl presented with abdominal cramps, nausea and diarrhea for the past 36 hours. She has a pet turtle.

Answer 17

Salmonella enterica (Salmonellosis)

Question 18

The diabetic patient has extensive soft tissue damage that is black on his leg. The doctor can stick their finger into the infection very deeply and decides that they must amputate their leg at the knee.

Answer 18

Streptococcus pyogenes (Necrotizing fasciitis)

Question 19

The patient presented with pain behind their eyes, red eyes, headache, fever and widespread rash. The patient had traveled to tropical areas 2 weeks prior.

Answer 19

Dengue Virus (Hemorrhagic Fever)

Question 20

The patient was so excited to go on their once in a lifetime trip to Uganda. They camped multiple nights by a wonderful raging water they they could hear the river through their tents. The black flies were thick but the trip was great. About a year later they started having nodules under the skin and difficulty seeing.

Answer 20

Onchocerca volvulus (River blindness)

Question 21

The promiscuous patient has a fever and rash originally with weight loss, then lots of colds and chronic diarrhea.

Answer 21

Human immunodeficiency virus (AIDS)

Question 22

The patient is immunocompromised because of taking traditional cancer chemotherapy drugs. After a month on drugs, they had a white velvety sores on their mouth and tongue.

Answer 22

Candida albicans (Oral Thrush)

Question 23

The 20 year old female had discharge, burning and swelling in her genital region.

Answer 23

Chlamydia trachomatis (Chlamydia)

Question 24

The patient had a rash that looked like the measles but only lasted 3 days.

Answer 24

Rubella virus (Rubella - German measles)

Question 25

The patient had dark urine, fever and fatigue for a few weeks. Then their stool became clay colored. 2 months ago, the patient experimented with IV drugs.

Answer 25

Hepatitis C (Hep C)

Question 26

The patient was 90 years old and started coughing up phlegm. A few days later they started to become very confused.

Answer 26

Streptococcus pneumonia (Pneumonia)

Question 27

The teenager had a rash through their face and shoulders. Some of the rash had white filled bumps while others had red or black bumps. They could pop some that released puss while others were solid.

Answer 27

Mycobacterium leprae (Leprosy)

Question 28

The patient has been on immune suppressive drugs for the past year and is now presenting with chest pain, coughing, night sweats, weight lost and a tumor in their lymph nodes.

Answer 28

Epstein-Barr Virus (Infectious Mononucleosis)

Question 29

The patient’s genitals were initially sore and later had a rash and mild fever.

Answer 29

Treponema pallidum (Syphilis)

Question 30

The patient loved sour patch kids and ate them everyday. He also had lots of tooth pain.

Answer 30

Streptococcus mutans (Dental Caries)

Question 31

The weightlifter had to continually go back to the doctor to get a new antibiotic for a painful skin infection that does not respond to antibiotics.

Answer 31

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Question 32

The patient has been immunocompromised for years and in and out of the hospital. The patient had diarrhea 10 plus time a day and has a hole in their intestine.

Answer 32

Clostridioides difficile (Clostridium difficile)

Question 33

The patient had very watery diarrhea after spending lots of time in Asia in small villages. The patient also had leg cramps.

Answer 33

Vibrio cholerae (Cholera)

Question 34

The patient finished their soccer game (scoring 2 goals) when they got back home and started to have headaches, stiff neck, fever, nausea and altered mental status. The student didn’t want to go to the doctor since the symptoms just started but thankfully their roommate insisted. At the hospital they were able to determine they also had inflammation of meninges.

Answer 34

Neisseria meningitidis (Meningitis)

Question 35

The patient initially had the feeling of pins and needles in their arms and legs but then started to have difficulty walking.

Answer 35

Polio Virus (Polio)

Question 36

The 35 year old patient had irregular vaginal bleeding, difficult urinating, fatigue and weight loss. In her 20s she told her physician she had unprotected sex a few times.

Answer 36

Human papillomavirus (Cervical Cancer)

Question 37

A chronic IV drug user, who already had hepatitis B, presented with a headache, dark urine and clay colored bowel movements.

Answer 37

Hepatitis D (Hepatitis D)

Question 38

The patient has been traveling in Sub-Saharan Africa and has had trouble with their mosquito netting at night. After traveling for a couple of weeks they presented with a high fever and intermittent chills. A few days later they started having troubles breathing and their organs started to fail.

Answer 38

Plasmodium vivid (Malaria)

Question 39

To save money the patient grew their own vegetables and has been canning all summer. This fall the patient started having difficulty swallowing, stiff neck and involuntary muscle contractions.

Answer 39

Clostridium botulinum (Botulism)

Question 40

As an avid backpacker of the national parks, the patient was used to lost of mosquito bites. About a week after a backpacking trip, the patient had body aches and rash weakness. When she was diagnosed, the doctor was happy she had symptoms as most do not and it helps in the diagnosis.

Answer 40

West Nile (West Nile)

Question 41

2 days after wading in the pond on a hot summer day the patient stated seeing a reddish pimple rash on her ankles and calves that itched.

Answer 41

Fluke Worm Eggs (Swimmers Itch)

Question 42

After volunteering in Africa’s hospitals, the patient started to have profuse bleeding.

Answer 42

Ebola virus (Hemorrhagic Fever)

Question 43

The 13 year old girl just started menstruating and presented with rash fever and a drop in blood pressure.

Answer 43

Staphylococcus aureus (Toxic Shock Syndrome)

Question 44

The patient works at a day care facility and woke up a couple of days ago coughing, sore throat, runny nose and low grade fever. NyQuil and DayQuil reduced the symptoms.

Answer 44

Rhinovirus (Common cold)