Guillain-Barre Disease

Systemic and can quickly become life-threatening with organ failure, including reduced blood pressure and heart failure 1 2

Multiple Sclerosis and Guillain-Barré Syndrome are two autoimmune disorders of the nervous system that occur when the myelin sheath surrounding the axons of a nerve degenerate. Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects the central nervous system while Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) involves the peripheral nervous system.1,2 MS is a gradually regressing disease that usually occurs in one of four ways. The first is relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and is the most common. Patients typically experience relapses where the symptoms are aggravated and enhanced followed by episodes of remissions during which the symptoms cease or calm down. 3 The second type is called secondary-progressive MS (SPMS). This type mimics RRMS but undergoes a steadier decline that may or may not include relapses3. The third type is primary-progressive MS (PPMS) where the disease progresses at a more regular rate from onset. PPMS, however, may speed up, slow down, or even plateau for a bit, but no remissions are present.3 Lastly, progressive-relapsing MS (PRMS), the least common type, presents similarly to PPMS in that the decline is steady, but this type of MS has exacerbations that the patient may or may not recover from.3 Unlike MS, Guillain-Barré does not present in types and characteristically attacks more rapidly.2 It is a poorly understood disease, however, research has shown that it is generally preceded by a bacterial or viral infection.4

Foodborne illness, or food poisoning, happens everyday in the U.S. and it is estimated that 48 million people are affected by it every year. Of these 48 million, 128,000 end up in the hospital and 3000 of them die from foodborne pathogens (Tucker, 2014). Foodborne illnesses can be caused by biological, chemical, or physical contaminants. The biological contaminants consist of bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. Chemical contaminants are pesticides, cleaning supplies, and toxic chemicals. Physical contaminations are dirt, glass, wood, splinters, stones, hair, jewelry, and metal shavings (Tucker, 2014). Salmonella, a bacterium, has been the most common reported cause of food poisoning. Salmonella is most commonly exposed to humans through animal feces and it is usually from animals that give us beef, poultry, and dairy products. People who do not wash their hands after being around animals can also transmit salmonella into our food. The symptoms of Salmonella are abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and fever (Tucker, 2014). The symptoms will usually resolve on their own in healthy people but may become life threatening in those with compromised immune systems. In order to prevent Salmonellosis, raw eggs should be avoided, as well as undercooked meat, shellfish, and unpasteurized milk and juice (Tucker, 2014). It is also important to always practice hand hygiene before handling any uncooked food products. Escherichia Coli, otherwise known as E. coli, is

In the article Backyard Chickens Carry Hidden Salmonella by Aneri Pattani. She explains why 900 people are infected with salmonella and the chickens are not the culprits of this disease. The normal issue with contracting Salmonella is normally eating raw cookie dough or undercooked eggs or meat. But it can also be contract when people put objects that came in contact with their live poultry, or when they deal with their live poultry and touch their mouth. Dr Nicholas says “ this doesn't mean people are not supposed to have Backyard chicken, but it is very important to wash your hands and make sure you have separate clothes for when you're dealing with live poultry”. She advised to not let your outside birds live with you in your house and avoid

When these animals are taken to the slaughter house, their carcasses can become contaminated when come in contact with intestinal contents (http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodborne-germs.html). Fruits and vegetables can easily become contaminated when water used to wash off suspected bacteria is contaminated with sewage. The most common form of Salmonella comes from eggs, which can become contaminated when a hens’ ovaries become infected, causing the pathogen to lay on the yolk before the shell is completely formed around the egg itself.

It can affect anyone. It can strike at any age and both sexes are correspondingly predisposed to the disorder. Generally, Guillain-Barré occurs a couple of days or weeks after the patient has had symptoms of a respiratory or gastrointestinal viral septicity. Many a times, surgery or vaccinations will elicit the syndrome. Infection with the bacterium Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most common risk elements for GBS. Folks also can develop GBS after having the flu or other infections (such as cytomegalovirus and Epstein Barr virus).

Throughout history many arguments have arose concerning the matter of Factory Farming and the way we obtain our meat. But it is now, in early times, that the well-being of the animals are being observed. People started to witness the inhumane treatment of the animals before they were slaughtered. In the novel, “Eating Animals” the author Jonathan Safran Foer discuss the different ways the animals are abused along with the living conditions of the animals. Make no mistake I’m not trying to convince anybody to stop eating meat because I wouldn’t be practicing what I preach

Over 1.7 million pounds of a popular frozen chicken product have been recalled for salmonella.

Infective endocarditis is the inflammation of the damaged parts of the heart due to an infection usually from elsewhere in the body. In this disease the endocardium (the inner lining of the heart) is inflamed and can lead to damaged heart valves and to other life-threatening complications. William Osler was the first one to recognize this disease and gave a name to it in 1885 in his Gulstonian lectures.

The main reason I choose the Guillain-Barre syndrome is because this a rare and deadly disorder. Even though it’s a rare disorder it affects people of all ages and race. In some cases, this syndrome has been linked to the Zika virus. Now let’s discuss a little about what is Guillain-Barre syndrome is? “Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system” (Guillain-Barre Syndrome Fact Sheet). There have been more than 3,000 to 6,000 cases just in the United States along that’s been reported each year. The exact cause of this disorder is unknown.

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), an acquired autoimmune mediated polyneuropathy, is classically characterized by an acute, non-febrile, post-infectious illness which usually manifest as symmetrical ascending weakness and areflexia with and without paresthesias.1, 2 However, sometimes sensory, autonomic, and brainstem abnormalities may be seen. The annual incidence of GBS estimated to be 0.3 – 1.3 cases per 100,000 per year in children.3

Guillain Barre Syndrome is an immune system disorder where the peripheral nervous system is affected. What this disease does is that its own immune system, instead of attacking foreign signals it starts to attack itself. This disease specifically affects the nervous system’s function because it doesn’t allow the transmission of nerve signals in the body. In Guillain Barre disease the myelin sheaths are degraded, Myelin wrap around the neuron and helps speed the conduction of the electrical impulses that occur in the body. Therefore, with the degrading of Myelin sheaths it prohibits the body from receiving sensory signals. This results the body to not feel things such as texture or pain and result in muscle weakness and or painful

Contaminated poultry is a big concern to society as it poses a serious risk for human health. An estimated 4 million illnesses and 3,000 deaths per year (based on information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture) due to contaminated poultry. This scare has caused all poultry to be vaccinated to prevent harmful pathogens to reach and infect humans.

Typhoid fever is caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi, a member of the genus Salmonella, which is included in the Enterobacteriaceae family. Salmonella typhi cells are aerobic, gram negative rods that

Common illnesses that can occur are salmonella and trichinosis poisoning resulting from improper handling of chicken, eggs or pork (Jardin, 2009, para.2). Diseases such as: campylobacteriosis, cholera, and listeriosis also make the list of illnesses (Jardin, 2009, para.1). These diseases are the versions of food poisoning, which can be life-threatening. According to the World of Health article published in 2007,