Please Read the Clinical Scenario, and Then Answer the Question

Multiple Choice

Please read the clinical scenario, and then answer the question that follow to become familiar with the traditional NCLEX question format.
The mother of 6-year-old Mary has brought her daughter into the pediatrician’s office where you work, complaining Mary has had a sore throat for several days and a fever. She has had a fever up to 104F that seems worse at night, but seems to respond to treatment with acetaminophen. Mary has not been eating or drinking as much either because she says “it hurts to swallow.” She is ill-appearing, and does not seem interested in playing with the toys or reading the books that are in the examination room. The doctor noted a thick, white exudate coating on both of Mary’s tonsils, which also seem enlarged. The doctor ordered a throat culture swab, as well as a complete blood count with differentials.
-The in-house lab performs the complete blood count with cell differential while Mary is still in the office.It shows an elevated white blood cell count,as well as an increase in neutrophils.What is this most likely a sign of?

A) bacterial infection
B) viral infection
C) tumor necrosis factor activation
D) interleukin-2 production