WBR0048

Author	PageAuthor::William J Gibson
Exam Type	ExamType::USMLE Step 1
Main Category	MainCategory::Microbiology
Sub Category	SubCategory::Pulmonology, SubCategory::General Principles, SubCategory::Infectious Disease
Prompt	[[Prompt::A 7-year-old child is brought to his pediatrician by his mother for a 4 day history of increasingly severe cough. On physical exam, the patient is febrile and in between fits of coughing, displays an inspiratory whoop. The child immigrated from rural India with his family 2 years ago. Which of the following media could be used to culture the causal organism?]]
Answer A	AnswerA::Eaton’s Agar
Answer A Explanation	[[AnswerAExp::Eaton’s agar is used to culture Mycoplasma pneumoniae.]]
Answer B	AnswerB::Charcoal yeast extract
Answer B Explanation	[[AnswerBExp::Charcoal yeast extract is used to culture Legionella pneumophila.]]
Answer C	AnswerC::Tellurite agar
Answer C Explanation	[[AnswerCExp::Tellurite agar is used to culture Corynebacterium diphtheriae.]]
Answer D	AnswerD::Bordet-Genou agar
Answer D Explanation	[[AnswerDExp::Bordetella pertussis may be cultured on Bordet-Genou Agar.]]
Answer E	AnswerE::Lowenstein-Jensen
Answer E Explanation	[[AnswerEExp::Lowenstein-Jensen agar is used to culture Mycobacterium tuberculosis.]]
Right Answer	RightAnswer::D
Explanation	[[Explanation::The patient in this vignette is suffering from whooping cough, an infection caused by the organism Bordetella pertussis. The patient’s immigration history suggests that he did not receive routine vaccinations, placing him at higher risk for whooping cough, a very rare infection in the US due to vaccination (part of DTaP vaccine). Whooping cough is characterized by fits of paroxysmal coughing, and in 50% of patients an inspiratory “whoop” that can be appreciated as the patient attempts to draw air through a partially closed glottis. Bordetella pertussis is a gram negative, aerobic coccobaccilus which can be cultured on Bordet-Genou agar. Educational Objective: Bordetella pertussis causes whopping cough and is cultured on Bordet-Genou agar. References: First Aid 2014 page 122; First Aid 2012 page 148]]
Approved	Approved::Yes
Keyword	WBRKeyword::Microbiology, WBRKeyword::Respiratory, WBRKeyword::Cough, WBRKeyword::Bacteria, WBRKeyword::Laboratory
Linked Question	Linked::
Order in Linked Questions	LinkedOrder::