This case study presents an example of the progression of disease involving a deadly pathogen. The narrative follows an undergraduate student who interns for a wolf recovery program. During his internship, he finds and interacts with the den of a deceased new mother wolf and her two distressed newborn pups, and soon thereafter falls ill. The case is designed to help students understand microbiological properties of various disease pathogens, their potential impacts on human health, and their wildlife reservoirs. Students develop critical reading and thinking skills as they work through a process of differential diagnosis and defend their rationale for considering various disease pathogens. Students also consider that pathogens may have more than one transmission route or portal of entry, manifesting in different forms of disease caused by the same pathogen. The case is intended for use in a majors’ microbiology course or a medical microbiology or infectious diseases class in a pharmacy, medical, dental, or nursing school.