A 30-year-old man was in good health until he developed headache, high fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea containing blood and mucous. Examination of the stool revealed sheets of leukocytes. Antibiotics and fluid were given and he improved over 3 days. Ten days later he was brought back to the hospital. His diarrhea was gone, but he had new and worsening bilateral leg and arm weakness. A tentative diagnosis of Guillain-Barré is made. Which of the following characterizes the organism responsible for the man's illness?
A. Diagnosis can be made using a microaerophilic atmosphere and 42°C incubation of stool culture
B. The organism causes diarrhea primarily by enterotoxin production and can be isolated using bile-salt agar
C. The organism causes this disease complex by penetrating bowel mucosa and entering the blood stream. Blood culture will be positive in most cases
D. The organism cannot be isolated on culture, but can be identified using enzyme immunoassay (EIA) of a stool sample
Answer:A
A 30-year-old man was in good health until he developed headache, high fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea containing blood and mucous. Examination of the stool revealed sheets of leukocytes. Antibiotics and fluid were given and he improved over 3 days. Ten days later he was brought back to the hospital. His diarrhea was gone, but he had new and worsening bilateral leg and arm weakness. A tentative diagnosis of Guillain-Barré is made. Which of the following characterizes the organism responsible for the man's illness?
A. Diagnosis can be made using a microaerophilic atmosphere and 42°C incubation of stool culture B. The organism causes diarrhea primarily by enterotoxin production and can be isolated using bile-salt agar C. The organism causes this disease complex by penetrating bowel mucosa and entering the blood stream. Blood culture will be positive in most cases D. The organism cannot be isolated on culture, but can be identified using enzyme immunoassay (EIA) of a stool sample