Question

A previously healthy 18-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with a two-day history of progressive pain in her left thigh. One day before the onset of her left thigh discomfort, the patient and her mother had an altercation that involved her mother biting her left thigh. At the time of presentation, the patient had an oral temperature of 37.5ºC, a blood pressure of 136/80 mmHg and a heart rate of 106 beats/min. Her left thigh was erythematous (redness of the skin caused by dilatation and congestion of the capillaries) and grossly edematous (accumulation of an excessive amount of watery fluid in cells, tissues, or body cavities). In the center of the erythematous area was a grossly infected human bite with a necrotic central area of 1 cm in diameter. At the time of admission, she had a leukocyte count of 15.5x 10°/L (normal range: 4-12x109/L), a hemoglobin level of 101 g/L (normal female range: 123-157 g/L), and a platelet count of 306x10°/L (normal). Her serum electrolytes and coagulation parameters were within no nal limits. She underwent a local incision and drainage, yielding a large amount of pus, and the superficial fascia (the thin layer of loose fatty connective tissue underlying the dermis and binding it to the parts beneath) was found to not be intact. A Gram stain of the superficial fascia and surrounding seropurulent is shown below. a) Identify the disease presented by the patient. b) Identify the causal agent. Be as specific as possible based on the information provided (do not abbreviate). c) Identify at least one (1) antimicrobial that can be used to treat this patient. d) Is there a vaccine available for this pathogen? If so, name it. esc

Answer 1

a) Necrotizing fasciitis (NF

b)  Streptoccocus species.

c) Metronidazole, ceftriaxone or hyaluronidase, streptokinase

d) There is No vaccine still discoverd