15.4.2: Case Study from Lab 15- Unknown #2
- Page ID
- 122723
Case Study
A 57-year old female who is diabetic, a long-time smoker, and who 28 days ago had hip replacement surgery presents with swelling, pain, inflammation, and erythema at the surgical site. Examination shows she has a fever of 101°F, is exhibiting malaise, and has an increased total white blood cell count with a left shift. Ultrasonography examination indicates a deep abscess. A culture from an aspiration of the infected surgical site was taken.
1. Patient’s history and predisposing factors
Read the case study. Explain how any relevant parts of the patient’s history contributed to your diagnosis as to the type of infectious disease seen here. The patient's history refers to anything given in the case study prior to that patient seeking medical attention for the current medical condition. You are urged to use the computers in lab to search reliable medically oriented Internet sources to support this. Reliable sources you might consider are Medscape (http://emedicine.medscape.com/infectious_diseases) and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at http://www.cdc.gov/. Cite any sources you use at the end of this Patient's History section in APA style (https://www.scribbr.com/apa-examples/website/). Also see appendix F (SIRS and Sepsis) in your lab manual for an indication of whether or not the patient has SIRS.
The patient's history should suggest a general type of infectious disease that is present, such as a urinary tract infection, a wound infection, gastroenteritis, pharyngitis, pneumonia, septicemia, etc. Do not look up the bacterium you eventually identify as the cause of this infectious disease. You do not know the causative bacterium at this point. You need to determine the general type of infection in order to determine what microbiological tests to perform to identify the bacterium causing the infection. Search at least one medically oriented reference article from a reliable site such as Medscape and use this article to support your diagnosis of the type of infectious disease seen here. Don't forget to cite any sources you used in APA style directly under this Patient's History and Patient's Symptoms sections of this Lab Report.
2. Patient’s signs and symptoms
Read the case study. Explain how the patient’s symptoms contributed to your diagnosis as to the type of infectious disease seen here. Signs refer to anything being measured by a medical professional during a physical exam such as blood pressure, respiration rate, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and temperature. Symptoms refer to symptoms being reported by the patient. You are urged to use the computers in lab to search reliable medically oriented Internet sources to support this. Reliable sources you might consider are Medscape (http://emedicine.medscape.com/infectious_diseases) and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at http://www.cdc.gov/. Cite any sources you use at the end of this Patient's Symptoms section in APA style (https://www.scribbr.com/apa-examples/website/).
The patient's signs and symptoms should suggest a general type of infectious disease that is present, such as a urinary tract infection, a wound infection, gastroenteritis, pharyngitis, pneumonia, septicemia, etc. Do not look up the bacterium you eventually identify as the cause of this infectious disease. You do not know the causative bacterium at this point. You need to determine the general type of infection in order to determine what microbiological tests to perform to identify the bacterium causing the infection. Search at least one medically oriented reference article from a reliable site such as Medscape and use this article to support your diagnosis of the type of infectious disease seen here. Don't forget to cite any sources you used in APA style directly under this Patient's History and Patient's Symptoms sections of this Lab Report.
3. Vocabulary list for medical terms used in the case study under signs and symptoms
List and define any medical terms used in your case study that describe the patients’s signs and symptoms that the average person not in the medical profession might not know.
4. Results of laboratory test given in the case study
List each lab test given in the case study that are done in a lab, such as total white blood count, differential white blood cell count, urinalysis, and X-ray, and explain how the results of that test helps to contribute to your diagnosis. The CBC test is described in Appendix C of this lab manual.
5. Microbiological lab tests you performed in Lab 15
a. Gram stain and catalase test
Give the Gram reaction (Gram-positive or Gram negative and how you reached this conclusion) and the shape and arrangement of the unknown you were given. Because Enterococci and Staphylococci can sometimes look similar in Gram stains done from a plate culture, perform a catalase test on your unknown to help differentiate an Enterococcus from a Staphylococcus. State how this contributed to your decision as to which microbiological tests and/or media to use next. The Gram stain is discussed in Lab 6; the catalase test in Lab 8.
b. Blood agar with novobiocin (NB) disc
Give the results of the Blood agar with Taxo NB disc you performed on the unknown you were given, and how you reached this conclusion.State how this contributed to your your decision as to what bacterium is causing the infection. The possible results for Blood agar and NB disc were discussed in the beginning pages of this lab.
c. Mannitol Salt agar
Give the results of the Mannitol Salt agar you performed on the unknown you were given, and how you reached this conclusion.State how this contributed to your your decision as to what bacterium is causing the infection. The possible results for Mannitol Salt agar were discussed in the beginning pages of this lab.
d. Coagulase test
Give the results of the Coagulase test you performed on the unknown you were given, and how you reached this conclusion.State how this contributed to your your decision as to what bacterium is causing the infection. The possible results for the Coagulase test were discussed in the beginning pages of this lab.
Final Diagnosis
Genus and species of unknown #2 = ________________________________
Infection: _________________________________
Contributors and Attributions
Dr. Gary Kaiser (COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF BALTIMORE COUNTY, CATONSVILLE CAMPUS)