A Child Dies Following a Series of Chronic Bacterial Infections

Multiple Choice

A child dies following a series of chronic bacterial infections. At the autopsy, the physicians are startled to see that the child's white blood cells are loaded with vacuoles containing intact bacteria. Which of the following explanations could account for this finding?

A) A defect in the Golgi apparatus prevented the cells from processing and excreting the bacteria.
B) A defect in the rough endoplasmic reticulum prevented the synthesis of the antibodies (defensive proteins) that would have inactivated the bacteria.
C) A defect in the cell walls of the white blood cells permitted bacteria to enter the cells.
D) A defect in the lysosomes of the white blood cells prevented the cells from destroying engulfed bacteria.