Shoreline Influenza Outbreak Investigation Kit

Curriculum Description:

The Influenza Outbreak Investigation curriculum scenario, from Shoreline Community College, is a case study involving an outbreak of influenza among a group of people who have all been on the same airline flight. The curriculum includes 32 Patient Cards that contain information regarding age, date of last influenza vaccine, height, weight, blood pressure, symptoms, etc. These cards have a numbered patient ID to protect the privacy of each individual. The curriculum is designed for students to work in eight groups of four, with each group conducting tests and analysis (ELISA, PCR, etc.) on four patients. Background information is provided regarding the immune system, influenza vaccine formulations, the ELISA test, ELISA test applications, the pros and cons of the ELISA test vs. the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, other viruses that cause flu-like symptoms (so teachers can use this curriculum to look at outbreaks of other viruses), and epidemiological statistics (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and negative predictive values of molecular diagnostic tests). 

Background information is provided and includes the topics covered in the curriculum. Topics include enzymes (DNA polymerase, ligase, restriction enzymes, etc.), mRNA splicing, transcription factors, inhibitors, competitive inhibitors, amino acid properties and protein folding tendencies, bacteria as a pathogen, viruses as pathogens, cell membranes, the immune system, and more. 

Curriculum Contents:

The Influenza Outbreak Investigation Kit is divided into the following folders:

• A - Overview and Teacher Background
• B - Reagents, Supplies, and Equipment
• C - Micropipetting and Serial Dilution
• D - Intro to the Immune System and Influenza
• E - ELISA Test
• F - PCR and Gel Electrophoresis
• G - Bioinformatics
• H - Epidemiology Information
• I - Curriculum Development Acknowledgments

Folder A includes a table of contents; an investigation kit synopsis; background information for topics covered in the curriculum; standards alignment; information about ELISA applications, activity learning objectives, and readings and resources; learning objectives for the Neuraminidase/BLAST activity; a PCR model exercise; and a patient key and activity cards. 

Folder B includes a table of contents, a guide for ordering reagents and supplies, a kit prep packing list, and a PCR teacher preparation guide. 

Folder C includes activities students can use to practice micropipetting and serial dilution. Activities include Suncatchers Micropipetting, Suncatchers Micropipetting Activity with Serial Dilution, Suncatchers (teacher notes), Suncatchers (coordinate instructions), and Introduction to Serial Dilution.

Folder D includes introductory information about the immune system and the influenza virus. Materials include a table of contents, an immune system overview slide deck, vaccine worksheets, and other related resources. 

Folder E includes information about the ELISA test. Materials include a slide deck on understanding ELISAs and supporting documents and worksheets that provide information about the ELISA test. 

Folder F includes information about the PCR test. Materials include a table of contents, PCR modeling activities, two slide decks, and related data information. The slide decks cover the identification of a pathogenic agent using PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis. 

Folder G contains information about bioinformatics and how to use BLAST software to visualize and compare influenza virus protein sequences. Materials include a table of contents, a bioinformatics lab, a FASTA file that contains amino acid sequences for the neuraminidase (N1) protein from different influenza A strains, and a slide deck on using BLAST to compare influenza protein sequences.

Folder H contains a table of contents and a slide deck on epidemiology statistics.

Folder I contains a document of acknowledgments and a bibliography of related resources. The acknowledgments list Shoreline Community College staff developers and other collaborators on this curriculum. 

Below is a list of the files contained within the .zip attachment. The size of each file is included in parenthesis. 

SBEInfluenzaOutbreakInvestigationKit (78 files, 23.4 MB)

• Influenza Kit - A - Overview and Teacher Background (14 files, 1.9 MB)
• Influenza Kit - B - Reagents, Supplies, and Equipment (6 files, 778 KB)
• Influenza Kit - C - Micropipetting and Serial Dilution (7 files, 1.7 MB)
• Influenza Kit - D - Intro to the Immune System and Influenza (11 files, 3.8 MB)
• Influenza Kit - E - ELISA Test (17 files, 8 MB)
• Influenza Kit - F - PCR and Gel Electrophoresis (10 files, 3.1 MB)
• Influenza Kit - G - Bioinformatics (6 files, 3.5 MB)
• Influenza Kit - H - Epidemiology Information (3 files, 414 KB)
• Influenza Kit - I - Curriculum Development Acknowledgments (3 files, 90 KB)