A 10 year old boy with a fever of 39C, severe pain and tenderness in left leg was brought to doctor. The history of his leg injury was unknown. Symptoms have been ongoing for alomst week. His mother was using tylenol in the treatment. A series of tests were performed. X-Ray result of the knee was negative. Fluid aspiation of the knee resulted 3000 leekocytes/mm with 84% netrophill. There was a bone scan done that showed a hot spot in the distal tibea of the left leg. Bacteria cultures from the boy's knee joint fluid, blood, and tibial aspirate were ordered. These cultures grew a cream-colored colony on blood agar which were beta-hemolytic. The isolated gram statins were all gram positive cocci in pair and clusters.Upon reviewing these colonial and cellular morphological features the staphylococcus aerus organism was indicated. All 3 cultures grew cream-colored colonies on blood agar which were beta-hemolytic.
Gram stains of the isolates revealed gram-positive cocci in pairs and clusters. Based on the results of the culturing the samples taken from the patient’s blood, knee joint fluid, and a tibial aspirate through gram staining, it revealed that the organism that infects the patient is a Staphylococcus Aureus. These bacteria were causing the fever and the knee pain. It appeared in pair and cluster. To test for the presence of this bacteria, the medical team should conduct screen testing for methicillin resistant S. Aureus . CBC can only help to reveal thrombocytosis with chronic staphylococcal infection.
What might have further aggravated the patient's condition was the parent’s failure to bring him into the hospital for a medical check-up to examine what might have been causing the fever. In addition, self-medication even for over the counter medications might prove detrimental for a particular patient. Especially in the case of this 10-year old boy. His condition might worsen if the wrong medicine is given or if the patient is allergic to the drug. Also, some microorganism is resistant to some drug and some further make them virulent.
Staphyllococcus may develop resistant in penicillin through penicillinase production. It is a form of β-lactamase . Best treatment for this is still the penicillin. However, strict adherence to the doctor’s prescription is necessary. Failure to comply to the doctor’s order might develop into methicillin resistant that might make the organism resistant of the drug.
Work Cited
Blaser, Martin. Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Co, 2014.
Leboffe, Michael, Burton Pierce and David Ferguson. Microbiology Laboratory Theory & Application, Brief, 2nd Edition. Englewood, CO : Morton Publishing Company, 2012.
