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A patient has just returned to their hometown from a hiking/camping vacation, and is experiencing symptoms of an infection: high fever, swollen lymph nodes, black-and-blue marks or hemorrhages under the skin.   A doctor on the treating medical team asks her if she has been in the four corners area of the U.S.–where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah all meet.  Why does the doctor ask her this?

Which organ of the GI tract has a large, commensal population of microorganisms? 

Blisters 

Influenza virus can exhibit constant mutation of viral glycoproteins, called antigenic ________, or alternatively antigenic __________ , which is a more serious phenomenon caused by the exchange of a viral gene with that of another influenza virus strain. 

A diagnosis of tuberculosis can involve 

What are prion diseases? Why is medicine worried about diseases caused by prions? Are prion diseases curable or treatable?

If a person who has never been infected with the varicella-zoster virus comes in contact with a person who has shingles, they may soon come down with 

Agricultural workers and field archaeologists can be exposed to this fungal “valley fever” organism which, although entering via the respiratory tract, can cause meningitis: 

Which of the following provides the eyes with their best defense against microorganisms? 

Erythema migrans, a bull’s-eye rash (see image above) at the portal of entry, is often associated with