Lecture 30 - Infections in clinical practice

Question 1

an 8 year old boy presents with a boil/furuncle that is discharging yellow pus. What organism is most likely causing this?

Answer 1

almost always caused by staph aureus

Question 2

on a chest X-ray, you see a white region. what type of disease causes this?

Answer 2

pneumonia - the white is fluid in the aveoli due to a bacterial infection

Question 3

what does it mean if a person who is breathless is cyanosed?

Answer 3

they have blue lips, tongue and fingers stemming from breathlessness

Question 4

what micro-organisms can cause pneumonia?

Answer 4

1. streptococcus pneumoniae (most cases)
2. aspergillus conidia

Question 5

how might you identify the organisms causing the patients pneumonia?

Answer 5

gram stain of the sputum showing chains of gram positive cocci
- contaminated by bacteria in saliva/mouth
HBA plate showing alpha hemolysis

Question 6

what treatment would you use against streptococcus pneumoniae?

Answer 6

still sensitive to penicillin, so any kinda of penicillin

Question 7

which drug is effective against most gram negative bacilli?

Answer 7

gentamycin, an aminoglycoside that is administered intravenously

Question 8

what is the fastest way to diagnose herpes simplex?

Answer 8

swab the bottom of the blister and wash with a herpes simplex antibody with a fluorophore attached
- look under fluorescence microscope

Question 9

what treatment would we use for herpes simplex?

Answer 9

acyclovir