Case Study 1: This 68-year-old North Carolina man with diab…
Questions
Cаse Study 1: This 68-yeаr-оld Nоrth Cаrоlina man with diabetes mellitus was admitted to the hospital for evaluation of a persistent right lower lobe infiltrate. Three weeks prior to admission, he presented to an outside physician for evaluation of fever, chills, weight loss, and anorexia. A chest radiograph demonstrated a right lower lobe infiltrate. He was treated with oral amoxicillin, but his condition worsened. His PPD test was negative and three sputum specimens were negative for acid-fast bacilli on smear. Sputum specimens were sent for fungal culture. The patient works in a cotton mill in the so-called "opening room", where he opens bundles of cotton received from the southwestern United States. Cultures of sputum and blood grew a mold which on microscopic examination had numerous rectangular alternating light and dark structures. Case Study 1.2: How could this man's illness have been prevented?