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3496 Microbiology

A 21-year-old college student complained of malaise, low-grade fever, and a harsh cough, but not of muscle aches and pains. An x-ray revealed a diffuse interstitial pneumonia in the left lobes of the lung. The WBC count was normal. The student has been ill for a week. The following laboratory data were available within 2 days: cold agglutinins–negative; complement fixation (M. pneumoniae)–1:64; viral culture–pending, but negative to date; bacterial culture of sputum on blood agar and MacConkey’s agar–normal oral flora. In order to confirm the diagnosis, which of the following procedures could be ordered to achieve a specific and sensitive diagnosis?

ACulture of the sputum on charcoal yeast extract
BA repeat cold agglutinin test
CA DNA probe to the 16S ribosomal RNA of an organism lacking a cell wall
DA repeat CF test in 5 days
Microbiology
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