Your Patient Asks You Whether There Were Also Viruses on the Slide

Multiple Choice

Your patient asks you whether there were also viruses on the slide. You tell her

A) yes, but they are of no concern because they are part of her normal microbiota.
B) maybe, but there were too few to observe among the bacteria.
C) maybe, but viruses cannot be observed without an electron microscope.
D) unlikely, because viruses seldom cause sore throats in people.
E) no, because viruses would be destroyed by the decolorizing step of the Gram stain.