A 54-Year-Old Man Comes to the Emergency Department Due to Fever

question 140

Multiple Choice

A 54-year-old man comes to the emergency department due to fever, chills, and malaise over the past day.  His other medical problems include recently diagnosed Hodgkin disease.  Temperature is 39.4 C (103 F) , blood pressure is 102/61 mm Hg, and pulse is 114/min.  The patient appears ill.  Blood cultures grow motile gram-positive rods that produce a very narrow zone of beta hemolysis on blood agar.  The bacteria are also found to grow well at refrigerated temperature.  Which of the following processes is most important for eliminating these bacteria from the body?

• A)Cell-mediated immunity
• B)Eosinophil action
• C)Immunoglobulin secretion
• D)Mast cell activation
• E)Terminal complement cascade