Worked in a collaborative effort with group members to complete a case study that identified the pathogenesis, epidemiology, treatment, and use of the toxin.

1. A FRIGHTENING SCENARIO
GROUP ASSIGNMENT 7 12 POINTS
In this assignment you identify the following:
● Review the key terms associated with cellular growth and control of microorganisms in
chapter
● Identify the causative agent for the disease in the case study, its pathogenesis,
epidemiology, treatment and application of toxin
● Apply the adaptive immune response to an infectious agent and its components
Corresponds with Learning Objectives: Ch. 15 j. and k.
Team Role First and Last Name (printed) Class section
(circle)
Facilitator Eliza Paknya MWF 10:30
Recorder Madeleine Poling MWF 10:30
Devil's Advocate Lily Goggans MWF 10:30
Coordinator
Case Study
A six-month-old baby was brought to the emergency room by his mother. The baby had a lethargic
appearance with drooping eyelids. The mother reported that after the baby woke from his morning
nap, he began to act strangely. The baby had difficulty crawling and acted very sleepy to the mother.
When she attempted to feed the baby, the baby couldn’t swallow the food she placed in his mouth. As
the clinician continued to look over the baby, he noticed the baby was beginning to struggle with
breathing. He immediately ordered the baby to be intubated (insertion of a breathing tube) and to be
rushed for treatment.
Upon questioning the mother, the clinician discovered that the child had been fed organic
home-canned carrots from a farmers market that the mother pureed, some store-bought organic
applesauce and was breastfed the night before. The baby had been kept indoors all morning while the
mother completed house chores and she did not observe him putting anything unusual in his mouth.
Discussion Questions
Answer the following questions in your assigned groups:
1. Which element of the baby’s morning routine was most likely the culprit in
causing the symptoms for the baby? (1 point)

2. a. The baby eating the home canned carrots was likely the culprit in causing
the symptoms.
2. The baby’s symptoms are due to a bacterial agent correlated with your answer in
question 1. Name the bacterium’s genus and species. Hint: think about the
baby’s symptoms – what body system is affected? Chapters 21-27 list diseases
associated with body systems. Choose the chapter that most aligns with the
type of symptoms. (1 point)
a. The baby’s symptoms are due to Clostridium botulinum.
3. Provide a scenario for how the bacterial agent became associated with the
element identified in question 1 and in what state is this bacterium at the time of
contamination? (1 point)
a. The home canned carrots were likely canned improperly by not destroying
all of the endospores during the canning process. The low oxygen
environment of these carrots allowed the bacteria spores to enter back into
a vegetative state to become an active bacterial cell and make lethal toxins.
At the time of contamination of the canned carrots, Clostridium botulinum
was an endospore.
4. Identify if the bacterium itself or an element associated with the bacterium is
responsible for the symptoms of the drooping eyelids and difficulty breathing. (1
point)
a. The botulinum toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum is responsible
for these symptoms.
5. Describe what adaptive immune responses (specific cells and proteins/cytokines)
that could possibly be employed by the body: (3 points)
a. What innate immune specific cell or protein is used by the body to identify
the infectious agent or component: ____________________
i. Dendritic cells are used by the body to identify the infectious agent.

3. b. What adaptive immunity specific cells are activated by the cell identified in
part A? This is a good time to refresh what surface proteins, signals and
receptors are used in the process.
i. When a T-cell receptor (TCR) recognizes the antigen on the
dendritic cell, naive helper T cells are activated into active T helper
cells.
ii. Naive cytotoxic T cells are also activated into active cytotoxic T cells
by the dendritic cell.
c. What adaptive immunity specific cell is activated by the cell identified in
part B to create an effective response to neutralize the infectious agent or
component? Identify what will be made in response.
i. The naive B cell is activated by the helper T cells and creates plasma
cells that produce antibodies that bind to the antigen.
6. Do a little research on the medical and cosmetic use of this causative agent and
its corresponding elements. Provide one description of where it is being used
medically/commercially today and explain how it works. (1 point)
a. The botulinum toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum is used to create
the drug Botox. The neurotoxin is injected in small doses into the skin to
block nerve signals to the muscles. This causes the muscles to relax and
results in smoother skin above the muscles.