09-12-2007, 04:21 PM
A 67-year-old retired librarian presents to her physician because of 48 hours of persistent fevers, shaking chills, and a productive cough. She is a former smoker who quit 25 years ago. She is in otherwise good health, except for a history of a transient ischemic attack 2 yeas ago. On physical examination, there are coarse rhonchi at the left posterior lung base with increased fremitus and hyperresonance to percussion. A chest x-ray film reveals a lobar consolidation in the left lower posterior lung segment. Which of the following would be most likely to appear on a sputum Gram's stain?
A. Gram-negative cocci in chains
B. Gram-negative rods
C. Gram-positive cocci in chains
D. Gram-positive cocci in clusters
E. Gram-positive rods
A. Gram-negative cocci in chains
B. Gram-negative rods
C. Gram-positive cocci in chains
D. Gram-positive cocci in clusters
E. Gram-positive rods