SITUATION: A 70-year-old retired welder who is a heavy smoker arrives to the emergency room suffering from fever and shortness of breath for the last three days. He is also suffering from cough with rust-colored sputum. The chest X-ray result reveals involvement in the left lower lobe of his lungs. The Gram staining results from his sputum and blood which were cultured indicates the presence of gram-positive streptococci. He was checked into a hospital and placed on penicillin. Two days later the patient’s health improved. a. What organism is responsible for the patient’s infection? b. Why is the patient at high risk for becoming infected with bacterial organisms? c. How could the patient likely have prevented contracting the disease? d. If the sputum and blood samples are plated on blood agar, what type of hemolytic reaction should be seen?
SITUATION:
A 70-year-old retired welder who is a heavy smoker arrives to the emergency room suffering from fever and shortness of breath for the last three days. He is also suffering from cough with rust-colored sputum. The chest X-ray result reveals involvement in the left lower lobe of his lungs. The
a. What organism is responsible for the patient’s infection?
b. Why is the patient at high risk for becoming infected with bacterial organisms?
c. How could the patient likely have prevented contracting the disease?
d. If the sputum and blood samples are plated on blood agar, what type of hemolytic reaction should be seen?
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