An elderly wheelchair bound man had a history of recurrent urinary tract infections. He presents with new onset of fever, chills, and confusion. Blood cultures were drawn.
The Gram stain showed:
Image from: https://web.duke.edu
The Culture showed:
Image from: http://www.retroscope.eu
What is the most likely organism?
- Streptococcus viridans
- Staphylococcus epidermidis
- Staphylococcus saprophyticus
- Enterococcus species
References
1. Duke Medicine. (2013, Feb 13). Pathology Learning Resources. Retrieved from https://web.duke.edu/pathology/MicroCases/MicroCases.html.
I am going to go with Enterococcus species since this bacteria is a gram positive cocci arranged in short chains or pairs. Enterococcus also typically forms small, gray, non-hemolytic colonies like the colonies pictured above. Since this is an elderly man in a wheelchair, he probably has had to be hospitalized/catheterized often. Enterococcus forms a biofilm that loves to stick to catheters and cause urinary tract infections. Also, according to an article in the Oxford Journal, enterococcus species is the third leading cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections.
ReplyDeleteYou got it right Lindsey!!!!
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