Honors Project Check-in #2

Student Name: Mary Doyle

1. With what signs/symptoms did your child present? My child experienced symptoms such as shortness
of breath, air hunger, nausea, and fever.
2. Fill out the chart below for each of the tests that you ordered for your baby. Feel free to add rows if you
ordered more than 3 tests.
Pathogen Suspected
E. coli

Tests Ordered for

Diagnosis
Stool Sample

Results

Hepatitis A

Antibody Test

Cryptococcus gattii

Blood Antigen Test

What Do The Results

Imply?
We tested for E. coli
using a stool sample, so
the negative results
imply that there was no
trace of E. coli in the
patients stool.
We tested for Hepatitis
A with an antibody
test, so the negative
results imply that the
body was not
producing any
antibodies to defend
against Hepatitis A.
We tested for
Cryptococcus gattii
because the symptoms
are very similar.
Cryptococcus gattii is
more common in the
Pacific Northwest,
which is where the
family happened to
camp just months prior
to the childs sickness.
The positive results
imply that the body has
been producing
antibodies in response
to Cryptococcus. The
child is infected with
Cryptococcosis and
should seek treatment
immediately, for this
sickness is potentially
fatal.

3. Based on the results of your tests, what diagnosis did you give to your baby? What difficulties did you
have with the diagnosis? What caused those difficulties? We diagnosed our baby with
Cryptococcosis due to our test results. It was difficult to diagnose our baby because of the broad
symptoms. It was hard to piece together such common symptoms when they could be symptoms of
many different diseases.
4. What is the treatment plan for your babys illness? The child will take an antifungal medication for a
minimum of six months.
a. Why are antibiotics used or not used in your treatment?
Antibiotics are used in the treatment of our baby to kill the fungal growths.
b. Whats the babys prognosis after treatment? The prognosis depends on the severity of the
infection and the childs vulnerability to infection. The child is most likely vulnerable
because they are so young and have most likely never been exposed to this fungus before.
Based on the respiratory symptoms and the length of time since the child was exposed, the
prognosis is guarded and the best option is to seek treatment immediately. The treatment
will likely be a long process, and the patient may even need surgery if there are severe
fungal growths that need to be removed. The patient may also continue to have breathing
problems in the future.

c. What is the containment plan to keep your baby from spreading the illness? Include in your
answer information about the incubation period of the illness and how long the baby is
contagious. Cryptococcal infections are not contagious.
5. What type of pathogen is causing the illness? Cryptococcosis is caused by a fungus.
a. Is there a vaccine for this illness? There is no vaccine for Cryptococcus.
b. At what age can your baby receive the vaccine? N/A
c. Since they have the illness, do they even need a vaccine to prevent future illnesses from this
same pathogen? Explain why or why not. Even if there was a vaccine, the patient would not
need it. Their body would have already produced antibodies to fight the pathogen, so a
vaccine would not have any use.

Works Cited
C. Gattii Infection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
16 Dec. 2015, www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/cryptococcosis-gattii/.
Cryptococcosis: Read About Symptoms and Diagnosis. MedicineNet, MedicineNet,
www.medicinenet.com/cryptococcosis/article.htm.
Dell'Amore, Christine. New, Deadly Cryptococcus Gattii Fungus Found in U.S. National Geographic,
National Geographic Society, 23 Apr. 2010,
news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/04/100421-new-fungus-cryptococcus-gattii-deadly-health-scien
ce/.
Harris, Julie R. Treatment and Outcomes among Patients with Cryptococcus Gattii Infections in the United
States Pacific Northwest. PLOS One., Public Library of Science, 19 Feb. 2014,
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0088875.