In: Nursing
You are doing a rotation in the hospital's clinical laboratory. A sample of cloudy crebrospinal fluid (CSF) from a suspected meningitis case arrives and you are told to Gram Stain it, and then to plate it on blood agar and chocolate agar. In the Gram stain you find gram-negative rods of varying size and shape, there is no evidence of diplococci. Colonies were observed on both the blood and chocolate agar plates.
Later, the charge nurse tells you that the patient, a 3-year old girl, has not received any childhood vaccines.
1. What is the most likely causative organism? Defend your answer. 2. Why was the child's unvaccinated status helpful in the diagnosis? 3. What is causing the cloudiness in the CSF? 4. Do a bit of research and find at least 2 other infections that this organism can cause. 5. Does this pathogen have any connection to the flu? Explain.
The child is suffering from the disease Haemophilus influenzae.
1. The most likely causative organism here is H. influenzae which causes the disease Haemophilus influenzae . It is a gram negative coccobacilli which grow on chocolate agar plates and affects young children.
2. The child's unvaccinated status was helpful in the diagnosis because the child didn't receive the vaccine of H. influenzae type B (most oftenly called Hib) so they knew that there is possibility of it.
3. The cloudiness in the CSF means that there is an infection of white blood cells and is caused by the accumulation of bacteria and white blood cells.
4. H. influenzae can cause different kinds of infections such as Pneumonia, Bloodstream Infection, epiglottitis, ear infections etc.
5. H. influenzae do not cause influenza that is flu.
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