A 3-Year-Old Patient Presents to the ER After a Sudden

question 89

Multiple Choice

A 3-year-old patient presents to the ER after a sudden onset of high fever and chills, a productive cough, and shortness of breath. The parents indicate that the child had been healthy up until that morning. An initial assessment of the child shows an elevated temperature (103oF) , rapid pulse rate (140 bpm) , and low oxygen saturation level (82%) . Supplemental oxygen and acetaminophen are administered immediately, and specimens are obtained from the patient for microbial analysis.
-The specimens are Gram-stained and analyzed microscopically. The laboratory technician observes spherical purple cells arranged in short chains. Based upon this evidence,which of the following microbes is potentially the pathogen affecting the patient?

• A)Bacillus cereus
• B)Vibrio cholerae
• C)Staphylococcus aureus
• D)Streptococcus pneumoniae