Epidemiological Big Game

Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
Name
Institution
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
The possible diagnosis, in this case, is Hemolytic Uremic syndrome a complication that arises from food poisoning due to consumption of food contaminated with E.coli. The condition is common with children and is the primary cause of kidney failure among them (Fakhouri, Zuber, Frémeaux-Bacchi & Loirat, 2017). The pathogenic feature that caused the severity of the problem is E. coli 0157: H7 strain. The feature appears in two main stages, whereby in the first phase it displays early symptoms that last for about three to five days after the ingestion of the bacteria, symptoms in this stage usually include, bloody diarrhoea, not passing urine, vomiting and mild fever. If the problem is not resolved, it may lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome with more severe symptoms.
This particular strain of bacteria is virulent and arises from consumption of contaminated food items such as unpasteurized milk and undercooked meat. In this case, the child consumed ground meat, which was probably undercooked and may have caused the contamination. This type of bacteria produces a toxin known as ‘verotoxin’ which spreads to the kidneys causing the formation of blood clots in the kidney blood vessels, which leads to kidney damage and eventually failure (Karpman et al., 2017). In this case, the condition has resulted in a low red blood cell count (hemolytic anaemia). The disease is prevalent among children below the age of five, this due to their underdeveloped immune systems as compared to that of adults (Kaur & Kerecuk, 2016).

The most critical features of my diagnosis were reduced kidney function, lysed blood cells that were as a result of destruction by toxins, bloody diarrhoea, vomiting, decreased urination and ground beef which was the most probable source of infection.

References
Fakhouri, F., Zuber, J., Frémeaux-Bacchi, V., & Loirat, C. (2017). Haemolytic uraemic syndrome. The Lancet, 390(10095), 681-696.
Karpman, D., Loos, S., Tati, R., & Arvidsson, I. (2017). Haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Journal of internal medicine, 281(2), 123-148.
Kaur, A., & Kerecuk, L. (2016). Haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Paediatrics and Child Health, 26(8), 344-348.v