hypotensive (systolic blood pressure 75 mmHg), pyrexic (temperature 39.4°(), and
tachycardic (heart rate 150/minute). There were signs of multiorgan dysfunction as her
skin peripheries were profoundly vasoconstricted and mottled with a significant delay in
capillary refill time (10 seconds) and an elevated serum lactate (13.0 mmol/L). The patient
was acutely confused and intermittently drowsy. There was a generalized lower
abdominal tenderness. Vaginal examination revealed a malodorous tampon, coated in a
green mucopurulent discharge, which was removed. Laboratory results from a high
vaginal swab from this girl presented with the following:
i) Gram stained slide, ii) Blood agar cultured plate iii) MSA plate
a) What organism is responsible for this infection?
(2)
b) What virulence factors is mostly responsible for the symptoms in this patient?
(2)
c) Suggest the expected abnormalities seen in the full blood count of this patient, and
explain your answer?
(6)
d) Propose the expected CRPresult of this patient and justify your answer.
(20)
QUESTION 5
[8]
5.1 A patient of 9.5-year-old, with chronic abdominal pain was admitted in the
Gastroenterology and Nutrition Service and integrated to: The chronic abdominal pain
protocol, authorized by the Ethical and Research Committee of the lnstituto Nacional de
Pediatrfa. The patient had history of diarrhoea or pasty stools, neither fever nor vomiting.
The faeces from the patient were processed seeking for pathogenic bacteria and the
results were negative. The microscopic examination looking for cysts and ova revealed
cysts and trophozoites. Haematological analysis revealed the following: a decrease in
haemoglobin and haematocrit values. Increase in total leukocyte count, specifically
eosinophils.
a) Identify the cysts and trophozoites presented in the illustration below which were
seen during the microscopic examination of the patient sample.
(2)
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