1. Description of the Microorganism
Write a paragraph describing your organism. Please be sure to include the type of organism (bacterial, viral, fungal, protozoa, helminth, etc), morphology (shape, arrangement , colony morphology if applicable), description of structure (gram result, type of nucleic acid or virion structure, spore type, etc if applicable) and also the type of microscope and/or stain you would use to view the organism. Please use proper scientific terminology and good grammar and sentence structure throughout this project.

2. Virulence Factors
Include a paragraph on the virulence factors the pathogen has and how they affect the host. Please enhance this with detailed explanations of the virulence factors and how they affect the host as you gain a better understanding of them throughout the semester.

3. Immunity
Which innate and/or adaptive defenses protect us from infection by this bacterium?
Does this pathogen induce a specific type of immune response (example: delayed-type hypersensitivity)? If so, which one(s)?

4. Pathology (Infectious Disease Information)

What condition(s) or infectious disease(s) does it cause?
Which tissues or organs are affected, and how are they affected (for example, chronic TB is characterized by lung tubercles)?
Describe the complications that can result if the infection is left untreated.
Are these acute, chronic, or latent infections?
What organ system(s) does it infect?
Is it an opportunistic pathogen? If so, where is it normally found in the body?

5. Epidemiology
Draw and label a diagram on how this organism is transmitted. Make sure you include the reservoirs of infection, any vectors if involved in transmission, the type of transmission, and portals of entry and exit.

6. Prevention
Is there a childhood vaccine against this microbe? Name of vaccine
If so, when is it administered (the recommended schedule, including boosters if recommended)?
If the vaccine is not recommended during childhood, which at-risk group should get the vaccine, and when?
Describe the type of vaccine and how it works :
If there is no vaccine available, list at least three measures the can be implemented to prevent people from acquiring this infection.

7. Treatment
Chemotherapeutic agents: antibiotic or antiviral etc. used to treat.
Mechanism of action for these chemotherapeutic agents.
Why is this agent efficacious against this particular organism ?
Additional therapeutic agents or practices.

If there is no treatment specific for your organism what measures are take?

8. Clinical relevance
Are there any MDR (multi-drug resistant) strains of this microorganism? If so, name the strain(s)
Is this strain a known healthcare-associated pathogen?

Which persons/procedures within a clinical or healthcare-assisted setting are particularly at risk

Which antibiotics are used against the multi-drug resistant strains? Be specific

9. References

Include at least 4 APA style references (scientifically appropriate credible resources) that show where you found the information in this microorganism profile.

1. TurnItIn is plagiarism software that compares the text in your paper against text on the Internet, other student submissions, and commercial databases. Please remember that your TurnItIn similarity score must be below 25%. If your similarity score is over 25%, you will need to rework your paper and resubmit before the due date. With the TurnItIn program, you get three submission attempts within a 24 hour time period in which you are provided an updated similarity score, so please start early. Very high similarity content is considered plagiarism, and you will receive a zero for the assignment if your similarity score is above 50%.

2. Remember to do the paper in APA format – title page, double spaced, section headers for each area of the assignment (i.e. Introduction, Virulence Factors, Description of the Organism, Epidemiology, Conclusion, etc.). Improper formatting will result in points deducted.

Under the ‘Microorganism Profile Assignment’ Module, please use the “Microorganism Profile Paper General Guidelines & Format 2020.docx’ to get started.

3. For the Epidemiology section, you must:

Include an original drawing or diagram, along with a written description below the drawing/diagram detailing what is occurring.
A hand-drawn depiction of how the disease spreads is preferred, but a diagram is also okay. If you get your diagram from a source, you must cite it.
Example of written description below your diagram:
Figure 1: Transmission of Clostridium botulinum. Foodborne botulism commences with the consumption of contaminated food, ultimately resulting in nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea.
Your Epidemiology section must also have a written portion (i.e. a paragraph or two), in addition to the original drawing/diagram, about how the disease is spread, etc.
The written portion of your Epidemiology section must refer back to your drawing/diagram (i.e. “As seen in Figure 1, …”).
Example of how to refer to your Figure (drawing/diagram) in your paper:

4. Always use in-text citations any place you are getting information from a source. Refrain from quotes when you can easily paraphrase, as paraphrasing displays understanding and critical thinking, it also reduces your TurnItIn similarity score!

At the end of the sentence in which you used the information derived from a particular source, include an in-text citation.
In-Text Citation Examples:
Viruses are infectious, acellular organisms that can only live within the host (Parker, 2016).
Viruses are infectious, acellular organisms that can only live within the host (Parker et al., 2016).

5. Your paper must include a minimum of four references listed in APA format.

For example, APA reference format for your textbook would look like this:
Parker, N., Schneegurt, M., Thi Tu, A., Forster, B. M., Lister, P., Allen, S., Franklund, C. (2016). Microbiology. OpenStax at Rice University. Retrieved from https://openstax.org/details/books/microbiology

6. ALWAYS ITALICIZE SCIENTIFIC NAMES!

Scientific names must always be italicized with the genus name capitalized and the species name lowercase.
Example: Typhoid fever is caused by Salmonella typhi. Salmonella being the genus, typhi being the species, both italicized