04-24-2006, 09:07 PM
28-year-old woman develops temperatures to 39.4 C (103 F) and substernal chest pain 3 days after being treated by her dentist for gingivitis. An x-ray film of the chest shows an enlarged cardiac silhouette. On pericardiocentesis, 250 mL of cloudy fluid containing large numbers of neutrophils is removed. Which of the following is most likely on examination of the fluid?
A ) Acid-fast bacilli
B ) Budding yeast forms
C ) DNA virus
D ) Gram-negative bacilli
E ) Gram-positive cocci
A ) Acid-fast bacilli
B ) Budding yeast forms
C ) DNA virus
D ) Gram-negative bacilli
E ) Gram-positive cocci