A 3-Year-Old Patient Presents to the ER After a Sudden

Multiple Choice

A 3-year-old patient presents to the ER after a sudden onset of high fever and chills, a productive cough, and shortness of breath. The parents indicate that the child had been healthy up until that morning. An initial assessment of the child shows an elevated temperature (103oF) , rapid pulse rate (140 bpm) , and low oxygen saturation level (82%) . Supplemental oxygen and acetaminophen are administered immediately, and specimens are obtained from the patient for microbial analysis.
-The specimens are Gram-stained and analyzed microscopically. The laboratory technician observes spherical purple cells arranged in short chains. Based upon this evidence,which of the following microbes is potentially the pathogen affecting the patient?

A) Bacillus cereus
B) Vibrio cholerae
C) Staphylococcus aureus
D) Streptococcus pneumoniae