A Gram stain of a blood culture reveals gram-positive cocci in chains. On physical examination, she has a rapid pulse and fever. A chest X-ray shows pulmonary infiltration classic of pneumonia. A Gram stain shows gram-positive cocci in pairs and short chains, and many polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Case 6 -A male patient is recovering from surgery to clear a blocked ureter and has just had his catheter removed when he begins experiencing chest pains, shortness of breath, and fever.
Blood analysis shows bacteremia involving gram-positive cocci in clusters.
His daughter had contracted chicken pox 3 weeks earlier and he caught the disease from her one-week ago. The male patient was rushed to surgery where he was found to have severe purulence and dead muscle tissue in the calf of his leg, which tracked up to the thigh. Shortly after surgery, the patient suffered a cardiac arrest and died. Bacteria isolated from his blood are gram-positive cocci in pairs and short chains. Coagulase testing, hemolysis on blood, production of DNAase, yellow colonies on mannitol salt agar.