Reference no: EM132416819

Staphylococcus and a Simple Scratch

An eighteen year old student in an automotive technology class at the local high school complained of a pain in his hand. His mother was concerned because he was feverish and lethargic. He wanted to stay home from school. The young man reluctantly admitted to his mother that he had cut his hand during his automotive class while working on a car engine. He had washed his hand with soap and water immediately at the faucet in the classroom. He had also covered the gash with a band aid. Although his teacher had given him a pass to the school nurse to a follow up, the student conveniently forgot when the bell rang and he had to get to his next class on time.

When questioned by his mother, the young man admitted to having diarrhea and vomiting the previous day. His mother immediately made an appointment with the doctor. The doctor noticed that the boy's arm was sensitive to touch. When examined, the boy's had had an open sore with pus. The area around the injury was edematous. The physician immediately noticed that he also had purplish, red streaks running up his arm from the site of the injury. The doctor confirmed his suspicions when he also observed enlarged lymph nodes under the arm with the open wound. The skin on the arm felt very warm and dry. He started the patient on

Case Study Questions   

1. What errors in the initial treatment of the student's injury occurred? What would you do to avoid this type of infection? How could it be avoided?

2. What is the likely infectious agent for this type of infection?

3. How did the organisms enter the hand of the gardener?

3. What symptoms (three) are indicative of an infection caused by this organism?

4. What are recommended treatments for this serious type of infection? What tests should be done in the clinical laboratory at the hospital to determine the antibiotic to be used? What treatment should begin immediately?