Question

Henry, a 7-year-old boy with a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis presents to your GP surgery with worsening of his usual symptoms. He is pyrexial, and although he has difficult expectorating, you manage to obtain a sputum sample to send to the lab. The lab reports gram-negative rods that produce grape-like colonies. The organism grows on MacConkey agar.

Given the most likely causative organism, what is the most appropriate next step in your management?

Answer 1

The most likely causative organism for Henry's worsening symptoms is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can be identified in laboratory tests. Antibiotic therapy targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa would be the most appropriate next step in management.

Step-by-step explanation:

The most likely causative organism for Henry's worsening symptoms is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common pathogen found in the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis. This bacterium adapts to the conditions in the patient's lungs and forms large colonies called 'mucoid Pseudomonas', which can be identified in laboratory tests. Given this information, the most appropriate next step in management would be to start antibiotic therapy targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa.