Case

Names:___________________________________________________________________________

Only one copy of answers to the case study will be turned in per group, however all students are responsible for this information and should complete their own copy. Please put the first and last names of all of the students in the group on the copy that is turned in.

Case Study 1.1 (5pts)

Kate, your sister-in-law is about to undergo fertility treatments. Her doctor insists that she receive the rubella vaccination and then wait several weeks before beginning the actual fertility regimen. Kate calls you and wants to know why she has to do this. You ask her if she is able to produce evidence of vaccination for rubella (also known as German measles). She says no: her family had a house fire a few years ago and all those records were lost.

“But I had German measles when I was in second grade!” she says. “I remember that I was really sick and missed almost a month of school.”

You suggest that she follow her doctor’s advice and get the immunization.

1. Why would a fertility specialist recommend the rubella vaccine? Why does he suggest a waiting period after vaccination and before conceiving? [Hint: Chapter 21; Rubella]

2. When do most children in the United States receive their rubella immunization? [Hint: Chapter 18; vaccines, childhood, recommended schedules]

3. Kate suggests that she had rubella in second grade, but the disease she described doesn’t sound like rubella to you, Why not? [Hint: Chapter 21; macular rashes]

4. Kate says the doctor gave her the option of having her blood checked for antibodies to the virus, to test her immune status. Would this test be checking for IgM or IgG? Explain your answer. [Hint: Chapter 17, immunological memory]

5. If a physician was checking for a current rubella infection and only had available a test for IgG, how could he or she be certain the infection was a new one? [Hint: Chapter 17, immunological memory]