Madysen Buckley

Mrs. Hays

Biology Honors

10 December 2015

Biology Honors Checkpoint

The signs and symptoms Taylor has recently been showing are agitation, air

hungry, nausea, shortness of breath, and a preference to sit upright. With a doctors

(Mrs.Hayss) help, Taylor has been diagnosed with Cryptococcus gattii when I had

requested for her to have a tissue test to pinpoint the exact disease. Overall, it was very

difficult to diagnose the disease do to the broad spectrum of symptoms that can easily

match other illnesses yet coming to a conclusion after many tests, Taylor was diagnosed

with Cryptococcus gattii.

Cryptococcus gattii is a fungal infection that mainly targets the lungs due to its

airborne nature, making it easily inhaled. The treatment plan that I have for Taylor, if for

her to use antibiotics to help target the fungal infection inside of her lungs, and if

necessary, fungal extractions will be performed. Antibiotics will be used as treatment for

Taylor de to how tough it actually is to kill this disease. The prognosis for Taylor is that

she will take the medicine that has been estimated to be consumed for about six to twelve

weeks and, after that will go back to her normal routine.

Cryptococcus gattii is not a contagious disease and is only spread through

airborne fungal spores. Taylor will be watched and treated with prescribed medicine until

she is able to go back to her normal life. The pathogen that causes Cryptococcus gattii is

a fungal infection that does not have its own vaccine. Taylor, in the future, will not need a
vaccine because of the fact that she will already have the illness inside of her and so her

body will produce antibodies that help build up protection in her immune system.

"C. Gattii Infection." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 02 Dec. 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
Feature, Stephanie WatsonWebMD. "Your Flu Vaccine Questions Answered."WebMD. WebMD, n.d.
Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
By Christine Dell'Amore, National Geographic News PUBLISHED April 23, 2010. "New, Deadly
Cryptococcus Gattii Fungus Found in U.S." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d.
Web. 10 Dec. 2015.