Choose a single microbial pathogen from the list below. You will need to research a single type of pathogen and the disease(s) it causes. It can be either a type of bacteria, a fungus, an algae, or a...

Choose a single microbial pathogen from the list below. You will need to research a single type of pathogen and the disease(s) it causes. It can be either a type of bacteria, a fungus, an algae, or a protozoan. You will then compile your research into a 500 word report on the pathogen that you chose. Your essay should include the scientific name of the pathogen, the disease it causes, how it is transmitted, the symptoms it causes, and how it is treated. You may also want to include information about the discovery of the pathogen or disease, how many people it affects, or any other interesting facts. Make sure to record all of your sources because you will need to cite them in your report using the MLA format.

Possible Research Topics:

• Pathogenic Bacteria:
  
  
  • Actinomyces israelii - Actinomycosis
  
  
  • Bacillus anthracis - Anthrax
  
  
  • Bordetella pertussis - Whooping cough
  
  
  • Borrelia burgdorferi - Lyme disease
  
  
  • Brucella [genus] - Brucellosis
  
  
  • Chlamydia trachomatis - Chlamydia
  
  
  • Clostridium botulinum - Botulism
  
  
  • Clostridium tetani - Tetanus
  
  
  • Corynebacterium diphtheriae - Diphtheria
  
  
  • Escherichia coli - Diarrhea, Urinary Tract Infections, Pneumonia, Sepsis
  
  
  • Legionella pneumophila - Legionnaire's Disease
  
  
  • Leptospira [genus] - Leptospirosis
  
  
  • Mycobacterium leprae - Leprosy
  
  
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis - Tuberculosis
  
  
  • Neisseria gonorrhoeae - Gonorrhea
  
  
  • Rickettsia rickettsii - Rocky Mountain spotted fever
  
  
  • Salmonella typhi - Typhoid fever
  
  
  • Staphylococcus aureus - Staph infections, Impetigo, Sepsis
  
  
  • Streptococcus pyogenes - Strep Throat, Scarlet fever, Rheumatic fever, Impetigo, Necrotizing fasciitis
  
  
  • Treponema pallidum - Syphilis
  
  
  • Vibrio cholerae - Cholera
  
  
  • Yersinia pestis - Bubonic Plague, Pneumonic Plague
  
  
  
  

• Pathogenic Fungi:
  
  
  • Aspergillus - Aspergillosis
  
  
  • Cryptococcus - Meningitis
  
  
  • Histoplasma - Histoplasmosis
  
  
  • Pneumocystis jirovecii - Pneumonia
  
  
  • Various fungi - Ringworm, Athlete’s Foot
  
  
  • Candida genus - Thrush, Yeast infection, Invasive Candida
  
  
  • Coccidioides - Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis)
  
  
  
  

• Pathogenic Algae:
  
  
  • Prototheca - Protothecosis
  
  
  
  

• Pathogenic Protozoa:
  
  
  • Plasmodium [genus] - Malaria
  
  
  • Entamoeba - Dysentery
  
  
  • Giardia - Giardiasis
  
  
  • Trypanosoma brucei - African sleeping sickness
  
  
  • Toxoplasma gondii - Toxoplasmosis
  
  
  • Leishmania - Leishmaniasis
  
  
  • Babesia - Babesiosis