Assignment task: As you are probably aware, viruses are a major part of our daily lives. For our lab activity this week, you will need to listen to the podcast "Rodney vs Death" by clicking on the link below.
Please note that this is approximately 30 minutes in length; please plan accordingly.
After listening to the Podcast, please answer the following questions in your assignment for this week.
RADIOLAB Podcast "Rodney vs. Death" Homework Assignment
1. This podcast begins with the story of a teenage girl, named Jeanna, who developed mysterious medical symptoms. Summarize the beginning of her illness before she went to see the infectious disease expert in Milwaukee. What significant piece of information led Jeanna's pediatrician to refer her to an infectious disease expert?
2. How does the rabies virus enter the body and then travel to the brain, its target tissue? How is this different from how most viruses find their target tissue in the body?
3. If you are bitten by a rabid animal, you can still avoid developing rabies if you get vaccinated. At what point is it too late for the vaccine to help?
4. What are the symptoms of rabies? Describe the course of the disease. Why would the symptom of hydrophobia developed by rabies victims be advantageous for the virus?
5. What is excitotoxicity, and what might it have to do with how a rabies infection affects the brain?