Disease Detectives B/C

[EAtBaNAna]

Okay so I set up a binder by just printing out the handouts and practice things (it's small), and I'm going nowhere with it. I have just a small clue of what I need to do but no way to know how to do it. For example, I can't find any way to go into specifics with the 10-step method mentioned in the handout. I don't know exactly how to research a disease and even get started on something as easy as a sample tournament.

EDIT: This isn't me, it's my brother using my account...

Well, to research a disease, start with:

-the type of pathogen
-scientific name
-symptoms
-typical incubation period
-method of transmission
-famous outbreaks caused by this disease

You can't really go into depth with the ten-step method, or so I've found, but you should understand the basics of what each step entails.




Mastering the calculations and having a through understanding of vocabulary is extremely important. Learn to read epicurves, too. Once you have an understanding of the vocab, graphs, and general epidemiology, you could try a Disease Detectives Test Exchange 2013

P.S. I did this back in the food bourne illness topic, so the way to reseach diseases may not apply this year.
P.P.S. Hi Casey's brother! I'll see you at states
P.P.P.S. Sorry if that sounded creepy!

Sounds perfect, thanks. See you at states!
EDIT: For researching the disease, if there is a case that doesn't say the specific pathogen (food poisoning, for example), by researching the disease should I come up with a list of possible pathogens (E. coli, etc.)?

[Flavorflav]

Nope. Randomized Controlled Trial Study.

What is the severity of disease that the agent causes to host?

Actually, InfinityFlat was not really wrong. It is only an RCT if it is randomized and controlled, and you didn't say that it was. Technically studies that aren't RCTs are called quasi-experiments, but not consitently enough to rely on.

What is the transfer of an agent from a reservoir to a host by suspended air particles, inanimate objects, or animate intermediaries?

Mode of Transmission

The spectrum of circumstances that set the stage for illness or disease outbreak.

This one is wrong, though. I believe strawberrygirl was looking for indirect transmission - although droplet transmission can be considered either. Sometimes an arbitrary 1-meter rule is used: within 1 meter, droplet transmission can be considered direct (i.e., I sneeze in your mouth); beyond 1 meter it is indirect. Some people make a third category of "airborne" to avoid the issue.

[Infinity Flat]

Nope. Randomized Controlled Trial Study.

What is the severity of disease that the agent causes to host?

Actually, InfinityFlat was not really wrong. It is only an RCT if it is randomized and controlled, and you didn't say that it was. Technically studies that aren't RCTs are called quasi-experiments, but not consitently enough to rely on.

What is the transfer of an agent from a reservoir to a host by suspended air particles, inanimate objects, or animate intermediaries?

Mode of Transmission

The spectrum of circumstances that set the stage for illness or disease outbreak.

This one is wrong, though. I believe strawberrygirl was looking for indirect transmission - although droplet transmission can be considered either. Sometimes an arbitrary 1-meter rule is used: within 1 meter, droplet transmission can be considered direct (i.e., I sneeze in your mouth); beyond 1 meter it is indirect. Some people make a third category of "airborne" to avoid the issue.

Flavorflav is very much right here - I didn't actually read strawberrygirl's post very careful. Good points on the droplet transmission, though I'd say that if a test asks you to match it to direct or indirect, I would go with direct, just because that's how it's listed in the training handout / ppt.

[EAtBaNAna]

erm...

So i'm just wondering which diseases we have to know for the event. i did a sample tournament and it said "Cyclosporiasis is this type of pathogen: ___." So... is there a specific list of diseases and pathogens that we can use?

[havenguy]

erm...

So i'm just wondering which diseases we have to know for the event. i did a sample tournament and it said "Cyclosporiasis is this type of pathogen: ___." So... is there a specific list of diseases and pathogens that we can use?

I've been asked a lot of diseases, including cyclosporiasis and other weird protozoa like Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning. No, there is no comprehensive list.

This would be a good place to start: http://www.soinc.org/sites/default/file ... st2012.pdf
Also, I found this quizlet online a couple of weeks ago: http://quizlet.com/3607793/science-olym ... ash-cards/

[isaysroar]

Hey so I was wondering...Which diseases are most common on Science Olympiad Competition tests?

[EAtBaNAna]

I think that it would most commonly be something associated with food poisoning (salmonella, E. coli, etc.) but since 2013 emphasis is environmental quality we might have some airborne or waterborne diseases.

[Flavorflav]

erm...

So i'm just wondering which diseases we have to know for the event. i did a sample tournament and it said "Cyclosporiasis is this type of pathogen: ___." So... is there a specific list of diseases and pathogens that we can use?

Not a great question. Cyclosporiasis is the disease; the pathogen is Cyclospora.

[isaysroar]

After the competition I had this one question about meningitis and had know idea what it was., I didn't know the symptoms, what it affected or anything. Try to write down diseases that you have no idea what are on your information sheets so that you can research it later. With this method we learned from the invite and placed 4th at Regionals.

[piimasta314]

Hey so I was wondering...Which diseases are most common on Science Olympiad Competition tests?

On soinc.org there's all these resources so you can try checking those out first. You should focus on the main subject (environmental quality), but really, they might ask just anything.
The random ones you just have to know, so just read up on those as much as you can. Also learn a bit of vocab so if you have no idea what they're talking about you can make a good guess and hopefully score partial credit. Like "meningitis" - "itis" means "inflammation of", so "meningitis" is "inflammation of the meninges." That's when a good knowledge of anatomy/bio comes in handy. (I just used this example because it was brought up on this page.)