A 64-Year-Old Man Comes to the Office Due to Several

question 137

Multiple Choice

A 64-year-old man comes to the office due to several days of low-grade fever and productive cough.  He has smoked a pack of cigarettes daily for 30 years and has been hospitalized several times for respiratory infections.  Temperature is 37.2 C (99 F) , blood pressure is 130/70 mm Hg, pulse is 82/min, and respirations are 14/min.  Pulse oximetry shows 98% on ambient air.  Lung auscultation reveals rhonchi that clear with coughing.  Sputum cultures in specialized media grow round-to-oval, budding yeast, which form germ tubes when incubated at 37 C in serum.  Which of the following best explains the presence of the organism in this patient's sputum sample?

• A)Colonization of a preexisting lung cavity
• B)Contamination by normal oral flora
• C)Embolization of infectious microthrombi
• D)Lung infection from inhaled microconidia
• E)Proliferation of previously latent organism

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Definitions:

Peristalsis

The series of wave-like muscle contractions that moves food through the digestive tract.

Anesthesia

A state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical purposes, such as during surgeries or procedures that would otherwise cause pain or discomfort.

Postoperative

Referring to the period after a surgical procedure, focusing on recovery and monitoring for any complications.

Senile Dementia

A decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life, primarily affecting elderly individuals; often related to Alzheimer's disease or other conditions.