PANCE Exam Practice Questions: Quiz 359

A 30-year-old male with sickle cell anemia is admitted with cough, rusty sputum, and a single shaking chill. Physical examination reveals increased tactile fremitus and bronchial breath sounds in the left posterior chest. The patient is able to expectorate a purulent sample. Which of the following best describes the role of sputum Gram stain and culture?
- a. Sputum Gram stain and culture lack the sensitivity and specificity to be of value in this setting.
- b. If the sample is a good one, sputum culture is useful in determining the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of the organism, particularly Streptococcus pneumoniae.
- c. Empirical use of antibiotics for pneumonia has made specific diagnosis unnecessary.
- d. There is no characteristic Gram stain in a patient with pneumococcal pneumonia.

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