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The following CBC data was reported:WBC: 12.0 x 10^9/LDifferential:  Neutrophils:      50%  Lymphocytes:   40%  Monocytes:      3%  Eosinophils:      7%What is the absolute neutrophil count?

Which of the following stains greatly enhances the visibility of fungi by binding to the cell walls, causing the fungal structures to fluoresce?

A gram-negative coccobacilli is isolated from the aerobic bottle of a pediatric blood culture. When plated to blood agar, the organism grows as a small β-hemolytic colony that pits the agar.  What is the most likely identification of this Genus?

When culturing for acid fast bacilli, which specimens should undergo digestion and decontamination prior to plating?

  Mr. Jones is a patient who underwent a total laryngectomy (no flaps) and bilateral neck dissections at an outside hospital and then had postoperative radiation tx and secondary TE puncture.  His treatment was completed about 1 year ago.  He is now establishing care at your facility.  When seen, he reports that he’s always had trouble with his indwelling voice prosthesis leaking after about 4-6 weeks.  He was frustrated with this and considering trying to have it removed.  He also complains that talking is difficult at times and he often has to go through 3-4 peristomal adhesives per day because he “blows the seal”.  His voice is somewhat tight and effortful, with a max TE phonation time of about 4-5 seconds. He does not initially complain of swallowing problems, but upon further questioning does admit that meats and breads are difficult to eat and he avoids them.  He has to drink a lot of liquid to wash his food down and does not like to go out to eat too often.  He has a lot of difficulty talking during and foe a while after eating a meal.  Occasionally, when he drinks liquids too fast, they come back up or might come through his nose.  1. What are some potential causes of this patient’s voice prosthesis difficulty? 2. What further testing would you want to complete and why?  3. How could this patient’s swallowing and voice prosthesis difficulty be related?  Explain.  4. What could be some potential interventions that might be helpful, based on further testing?    

From which region would you collect a specimen for the best recovery of Enterobius vermicularis?

The following CBC data was reported:WBC: 12.0 x 10^9/LDifferential:  Neutrophils:      50%  Lymphocytes:   40%  Monocytes:      3%  Eosinophils:      7%What is the absolute neutrophil count?

A seven year old male arrives at the ER with edema and hypertension. Lab values indicate acute glomerulonephritis; flagging positive for blood, protein, and the presence of RBC casts. The medical history is insignificant except for recent course of amoxicillin for a sore throat. Given these symptoms and history, what is most likely causing his illness?

A febrile patient is admitted to the ICU with bilateral pneumonia. A sputum sample collected upon admission grows a moderate amounts of a colorless, mucoid organism on MacConkey agar. Growth on blood agar yields large, beta-hemolytic colonies with irregular margins. The gram stain reveals gram-negative bacilli and the oxidase test is positive. Which organism fits this pattern?

A 26 year old male comes to the clinic on concurrent visits with complaints of a dry, productive cough. Previous bacterial and viral testing did not yield a pathogen. An O&P evaluation is ordered, and eggs measuring approximately 100 µm long by 60 µm wide are found in a wet mount of the sputum (shown in the image below). Which organism is most likely present?