A patient, Jennifer, presents in an ER with severe stomach cramps and diarrhea. She was recently swimming in unclean water. Which protist would be the most likely cause of her symptoms?

Question

A.  Toxoplasma gondii
B.  Plasmodium
C.  Leishmaniasis
D.  Giardia

Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
What type of thinking is required?

  Gather Content
· What do you already know about these organisms? How does it relate to the question?
· What other information is related to the question? Which information is most useful?
 
Choose Answer
· Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?
 
Reflect on Process
· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
 

Answer 1

D.  Giardia

Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
        o You are a nurse at the ER, and you need to determine which parasite has infected Jennifer so you can give her the correct treatment. Based on her short case history, which parasite is the most likely?
· What type of thinking is required?
        o This is an “apply” question, so you need to use your knowledge about the various parasitic and pathogenic protists and apply this knowledge to Jennifer’s case.

  Gather Content
· What do you already know about these organisms? How does it relate to the question?
        o Go through the list and write down what you already know about each organism. Does it cause a particular disease? You might find hints in the name, since a scientific name is supposed to describe the species.
· What other information is related to the question? Which information is most useful?
        o Yersinia pestis caused the Black Plague. Do you remember any symptoms of the Black Plague? One of them is a rash that shows up in circular patches, leading to the nursery rhyme lyric, “Ring, a ring of rosies.” What can you find out about the other species?
 
Choose Answer
· Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?
        o You know two things about the parasite:
            · It can be transmitted by water (particularly unclean water)
            · It causes stomach cramps and diarrhea.
        o Which of the organisms meets both criteria?
 
Reflect on Process
· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
        o This question asked you which species is causing Jennifer her intense cramps and diarrhea. Answering the question depended on your ability to applywhat you already know parasitic and pathogenic Protists to a new situation.
        o If you got the correct answer, well done!
        o If you got an incorrect answer, where did the process break down? Did you need to look up some of the organisms? Not all of them were covered in Chapter 29.