Short Answer 1: Based on your results, which species of bacterium was the most likely cause of death? Explain your reasoning and/or facts that were used to make this conclusion (answer should be no more than ~250 words).
Among the three bacteria that I have identified to be present, Borrelia burgdorferi is most probably the cause of death of the victim, because Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli are bacteria that are commonly found in the human body. Both of these bacteria reside in the intestinal tracts of humans and are usually harmless (Hanin, Sava, Bao, Huebner, Hartke, Auffray, & Sauvageot, 2010; “Escherichia coli (E. coli)”, 2012). On the other hand, Borrelia burgdorferi, a pathogen, is the main cause of a disease known as Lyme disease. Transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi to humans can happen when humans are bitten by ticks which are infected with the bacterium (“Lyme disease”, 2014). Some common symptoms of Lyme disease include tiredness, fever, headache and a skin rash called erythema migrans (“Lyme disease”, 2014). Although it rarely causes death to the people infected, people who are contracted with Lyme disease can develop complications if appropriate treatment is not given (“Lyme disease”, 2014). The infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system, threatening a person’s life (“Lyme disease”, 2014). In particular, Lyme carditis could be a reason of death. According to “What you need to know about Lyme Carditis” (2014), Lyme carditis happens “when Lyme disease bacteria enter the tissues of the heart” and it can be fatal. The occurrence of Lyme carditis is about 1% of Lyme disease cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (“Cases by Symptom – Lyme Disease”, 2013, as cited in “What you need to know about Lyme Carditis”, 2014). In addition to that, since the immune system is responsible for the protection of the body from pathogens, people with weaker immune systems are more susceptible to the Lyme disease infection, which could result in a higher possibility of death. References Escherichia coli (E. coli). (2012, August 3). Retrieved October 12, 2014, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website: http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/general/index.html Hanin, A., Sava, I., Bao, Y., Huebner, J., Hartke, A., Auffray, Y., & Sauvageot, N. (2010). Screening of in vivo activated genes in enterococcus faecalis during insect and mouse infections and growth in urine. PloS One, 5(7), e11879. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0011879 Lyme disease. (2014, June 23). Retrieved October 12, 2014, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website: http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/ What you need to know about Lyme disease. (2014, January 13). Retrieved October 12, 2014, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website: http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs_symptoms/lymeCarditis.html
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