November 30, 2006
Dear Disease Investigator,
Congratulations! You have been selected to serve your community as an Infectious Diseases
Investigator for Larimer County, Colorado. Your community is relying on you to be prompt,
accurate, thorough, cautious, and diligent in your investigation.
A state of emergency has been declared in Fort Collins due to a recent explosion in mysterious
food intoxications. There are numerous persons who are potentially at risk for possibly fatal
infections. Please use your scientific disease detective skills to solve each mystery.
It is of the utmost importance that you inform us of the results of your investigation as soon as
possible, as each passing moment jeopardizes the very lives of defenseless citizens, especially the
very young, old, and unwell among us.
Please identify each of the six food intoxications. Notify us immediately of your diagnosis and
recommendations for treatment.
Clearly, rapid diagnosis would be extremely helpful in developing policy and implementation of a
plan to contain and minimize the incidence of infection in the general population of Fort Collins
and the surrounding area.
We anxiously await your learned and astute advice concerning strategies for avoiding further
spread or future outbreaks of each of the diseases.
Sincerely,
Louis Pasteur, MD, PhD
Larimer County Department of Health and Environment
Bureau of Investigation
Infectious Disease Division