Welcome to the Hot Zone Name______Introduction Over the course of human history, the greatest threat to the human race and civilization has come not from war or nuclear technology, but from viruses and bacteria. Epidemics and Pandemics have changed the course of history and been cited by historians since the beginning of recorded time. Any disease that is able to spread can be called infectious. An infectious disease passes from one person to another. The disease may be transmitted by airborne droplets, through contaminated food or water, clothes, bedding, utensils, or anything in contact with a victim. Items which assist disease transmission are called fomites (singular: fomes, Latin for touchwood). Diseases which spread as a result of direct personal contact are called contagious. A few diseases require intermediate organism in order to spread. These are called vectors (Latin vectus, one who carries) and are represented by external parasites which feed from the human body, such as fleas, lice, and mosquitoes. In almost all situations, the elimination of the parasite will prevent the disease from spreading. For an infectious disease to begin its harmful effects on the individual, no matter how it is spread through the community, it needs to be introduced into the body’s system by a micro-organism. Not all micro-organisms are deleterious to mankind. Those that are harmful are called pathogens.

1. bacteria (singular: bacterium) These are self-contained, free-living, relatively large entities by microscopic standards. Bacteria, or ‘germs’, take in regular nourishment and excrete waste products, which are often poisonous to the host. In general, bacteria do not penetrate the actual cells of the host’s body and are described as being extracellular. To reproduce, most of them grow a little longer or wider and split into two. This process of division, called binary fission, may take place as rapidly as every twenty minutes under ideal conditions – a million fold increase in less than seven hours.2. viruses Viruses are considerably smaller than any bacterium, a virus is an Rna or Dna strand, operating only when certain conditions are available. It cannot reproduce on its own. Instead, it ‘hijacks’ a cell belonging to the body of its host and makes ribosome’s copy them. Viruses are described as being intracellular. The cell’s original function is usually destroyed in the process.

ASSIGMENT: In this assignment, you and your partners will research and share your knowledge of a particular pathogenic virus or bacteria. Your group will be assigned one of the following: small pox, yellow fever, bubonic plague,cholera, influenza (Spanish flue), HIV, typhus, tuberculosis, polio, Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, Malaria, syphilis, Leprosy (Hansen's Disease), West Nile, Pertussis (Whooping cough), Rabies, Dengue Fever, Tetanus (lockjaw), MRSA (flesh eating bacteria), Lymes, Zika virus, chicken pox, mumps, SARS, HPV, HPS (Hantavirus), Marburg, foot & mouth.

The Task Your group must:

1. Identify the organism (scientific and common name).

2. Identify the disease with a short history

3. Show a picture of the virus or bacteria that causes your disease.

4. Find and display distribution map of the diseases’ hot zone.

5. Create a timeline of when and where your disease occurred.

6. What year was your disease first discovered:

7. Who named your disease?
8. Who first isolated your disease (saw it under a microscope)?

9. Explain the symptoms of the disease.

10. Explain how the organism is transmitted (life cycle).

11. Explain how this disease cycle can be broken or prevented.

12. What was (is) the effect of this disease upon society (Deaths, costs, how does this affect people).

13. Is there prevention or a cure for this illness, (vaccine) if so, how was it discovered and by whom?

14. Include any additional interesting factual information.

Process: You will work in groups of three. Everyone must be responsible for accomplishing their portion of the task.

1. Divide up the assignment among the group members.

2. Use the resources provided, and others you may find to research the topic you have chosen.

3. Stay on topic! It is easy to become sidetracked.

4. Identify relevant information to enhance your presentation. You may use pictures, but not so many that you create a distraction.

5. Summarize your research in your presentation. You want to keep your presentation concise. However, you should elaborate on it orally.

6. Be prepared to handle questions from the class on your topic....you are the expert!
How to present your project: Become the scientist, dress up from that time period and be a witness, become the person who is sick, become the disease, make a poster, write a book about or graphic novel about your disease, create a brochure, a power point,a poster, or a diorama, make up a Poem, or song, or do your presentation in a unique way that you and your team have thought up.

Conclusion: After completion of this project and when all presentations have been shared among the class you must answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper:
Compare and contrast bacteria and viruses.

virus / bacteria
1. non living / 1. living
2. piece of RNA or DNA / 2. Prokaryote ( does not have a nucleus)
3. makes cell reproduce it, It can not reproduce itself / 3. reproduces with conjugation or binary fission
4. cells explode / 4. produces toxins that make you sick
5. intercellular / 5. extra cellular


3. Describe how viral and bacterial diseases are spread.

1. Airborne droplets,
2. Through contaminated food or water

3. Fomites, clothes, bedding, domestic utensils, or anything in contact with a victim

4. Direct personal contact.
5. Vectors
6. keep fingers away from face
7. cook and refrigerate food properly

4. Describe how viral and bacterial diseases are prevented.

1. Wash your hands
2. Vaccinations
3. Cover your mouth when you sneeze
4. Stay home when you are sick

5. Describe how viral and bacterial diseases are treated.

6. Explain the how a disease has changed society.

Resources suggestions:
List of pandemics, list of epidemics, list of historical pandemics, bacterial epidemics list
http://www.mla-hhss.org/histdis.htm The History of Diseases
http://www.scientiareview.org/pdfs/21.pdf The History of Disease An electronic book co-authored by students at the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI Scientific and Technical Writing, 2008
http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/contagion/ Contagion: Historical Views of Disease and Epidemics
http://www.urbanrim.org.uk/diseases.htm Infectious Diseases in History a guide to causes and effects
Bacteria diseases Resources
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/default.htm Center of Disease Control this site will list a number of diseases make sure you have a virus or a bacteria
http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/micro.html Iowa University this site will list a number of diseases make sure you have a virus or a bacteria
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bacterialinfections.html U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health great site but can be overwhelming
http://www.cyndislist.com/medical.htm scroll down to Epidemics & Plagues
Viral diseases Resources
http://www.virology.net/Big_Virology/BVDiseaseList.html The big picture book of Viruses
http://www.cureresearch.com/v/viral/intro.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/disinfo/disease.htm Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases this site is from the Center of Disease Control
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/viralinfections.html U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health great site but can be overwhelming

Name______

Disease completion rubric

Points possible / Points earned / comments
1. Scientific & common name. / 2 pts
2. Identify the disease with a short history. / 5 pts
3. Show a picture of the virus or bacteria under microscope / 2 pts
4. Distribution map of the diseases / 5 pts
5. a timeline / 5 pts
6. year first discovered / 2 pts
7. Who names your disease / 2 pts
8. Who first isolated your disease (who saw it under the microscope) / 2 pts
9. Explain the symptoms of the disease. / 5 pts
10. Explain how the organism is transmitted (life cycle). / 3 pts
11. how disease cycle can be broken or prevented / 3 pts
12. What was (is) the effect of this disease upon society / 4 pts
13. Preventative or cure for this illness, (vaccine)how was it discovered and by whom / 5 pts
14. additional factual information / 5 pts
15. Delivery (eye contact and faces the audience) / 5 pts
16. Rate (great job maintaining eye contact with audience and seldom use note cards) / 5 pts
17. Verbal Technique (clear voice and correct and precise pronunciation) / 5 pts
18. Grammar (sentence structure and all words were spelled correctly) / 5 pts
19. Cite Sources correctly / 5 pts
Total points / 75 pts