Name: ___________________________________Period: _______________ Date: ____________________
MedMyst – Mission 1: Orientation at O.R.B
An Infectious Disease Adventure
It is the year 2254, twelve years after the end of the Great Plague that ran through the Earth’s population killing
millions and causing the collapse of civilization. An elite group of scientists known as the RECONSTRUCTORS
team is charged with preventing the spread of infectious disease in this bleak time.
You are a recruit for the Neuropolis Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and will be joining Beta, the
Reconstructors’ chief medical officer, at the On-line Reconstructor Base (ORB). With her is Eureka, the
medical information robot, and Delta, the robot scout. You must pass five challenges in order to become a
certified NCDC agent.
PROCEDURE:
To begin the adventure, navigate to http://webadventures.rice.edu/stu/Games/MedMyst/ and click on the
picture that says “Orientation at O.R.B”. Read through the Game Overview information then click on the “Play”
button on the right side of the screen.
You will need to read through the introduction for this mission and click on the green arrow in the bottom right
corner to continue to the next page. If you want to repeat a section or return to the main room, you may use the
back arrow button, though it will not be highlighted green. You may work through the challenges in any order
you prefer; however, the order in which the questions appear below is the best way to proceed.
**Please note: Once you begin a challenge you CANNOT exit it until you have completed it. If you click on the
“Exit” button in the bottom right corner you will leave the entire game and have to start over.
Challenge 1: Enemy Agents
In this challenge you will visit a containment unit that houses the six types of infectious agents or pathogens.
Fill in the table below as you learn about each of the different pathogens.
Name of Pathogen
Helminth
Protozoan
Fungus
Bacterium
Virus
Name
AKA
Examples from Interview
Name: ___________________________________Period: _______________ Date: ____________________
Prion
Record your time to complete the final challenge: ____________________
Challenge 2: Koch’s Concepts
In this challenge, you will investigate the Case of the Blue Navels by learning about Dr. Robert Koch and how
his research into germ theory helps scientists to discover new diseases today.
1. Who is Dr. Robert Koch?
2. What is the name of the fungus that was found on all 3 test oranges?
3. What is the purpose of the experiment you just did?
4. Why do you think the oranges need to be washed?
5. What did you do to make an orange the “control”? What is the purpose of a control?
6. What can we conclude from this experiment?
7. What are Koch’s Postulates?
a.
b.
c.
d.
8. What disease did Koch identify in 1876 and what type of pathogen causes it?
Challenge 3: Germ Blaster
In this challenge, you will play a game much like the classic Space Invaders, but with a twist!
Name: ___________________________________Period: _______________ Date: ____________________
As you work through this challenge, pay close attention to the descriptions of the different pathogens as well as
the different treatments. Record the descriptions for the pathogens along with their appropriate treatments in
the table below. You will also need to record the descriptions for each of the treatments. You must play through
each of the pathogens in order to complete the challenge.
Name of
Pathogen
Description
Treatment
Prion
Virus
Bacteria
Fungi
Protozoa
Helminth
★ Antibiotics:
★ Antifungal medication:
★ Antiviral medication:
★ Anthelmintic:
★ Vaccines:
Challenge 4: Infect-O-Rama
In this challenge, you will learn about infectious agents and the different ways in which they can spread. You
will also learn about things that can stop the spread of disease. As you click through each of the pathogens in
the table, be sure to record the ways in which they may be spread.
Name of Pathogen
Prion
Virus
Ways the Pathogen is Spread
Name: ___________________________________Period: _______________ Date: ____________________
Bacteria
Fungus
Protozoa
Helminth
Challenge 5: Body Defender
In this challenge you will be learning about the ways in which your body can fight off a disease. As you work
through the challenge, answer the following questions.
1. What is the immune system?
2. What are the first lines of defense against pathogens trying to get into the body?
3. What are the organs of the immune system?
4. Why are they called lymphoid organs?
5. What is a Non-specific Defense?
6. What do antibodies do?
4
7. What is immunity?