PANCE Infectious Disease Blueprint (Bacterial Diseases): The Daily PANCE Blueprint

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PANCE Infectious Disease Blueprint (Bacterial Diseases): The Daily PANCE Blueprint

A 72-year-old female with a history of osteoporosis and hypothyroidism presents to the ER complaining of a week of fever, terrible diarrhea, and abdominal pain. She ends up in the ICU as she develops septic shock and end-organ failure. Upon talking to the patient, you learn that she lives with her son and his kids. Her son owns a turtle and a dog. The patient has been recently helping clean up the turtle's cage. Stool and blood cultures are obtained. The cultures will likely grow which of the following?

A. E. coli O157:H7
B. Campylobacter
C. Salmonella
D. Shigella
E. Bartonella

Answer and topic summary

The answer is C. Salmonella

Salmonellae are motile, gram-negative bacilli that can commonly cause acute diarrheal illness that typically resolves on its own; however, in 1% of cases, it can lead to bacteremia and systemic infections. People can get salmonella infections from foods (poultry, eggs, egg products) and also from animal contact (reptiles and amphibians). Risk factors for severe infection include extremes of age (elderly/neonates), IBD, prior antibiotics, HIV/AIDS, malignancy, etc. If systemic infection is suspected, blood cultures should be drawn, and patients should be put on antibiotics (e.g., fluoroquinolones), typically for a long course.

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Covered under ⇒ PANCE Blueprint Infectious Disease ⇒ Bacterial Disease ⇒ Salmonellosis

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