A 2-year-old child was admitted to the hospital with acute meningitis. The Gram stain revealed Gram-positive short rods, and the mother indicated that the child had received “all” of the meningitis vaccinations. What is the most likely cause of the disease?
Correct Answer: Listeria
Description: Except during a meningococcal epidemic, H. influenzae is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in children. The organism is occasionally found to be associated with respiratory tract infections or otitis media. H. influenzae, N. meningitidis, S. pneumoniae, and Listeria account for 80 to 90% of all cases of bacterial meningitis. A purified polysaccharide vaccine conjugated to protein for H. influenzae type B is available. A tetravalent vaccine is available for N. meningitidis and a 23-serotype vaccine for S. pneumoniae. No vaccine is available for Listeria.
Category:
Microbiology
Get More
Subject Mock Tests
Practice with over 200,000 questions from various medical subjects and improve your knowledge.
Attempt a mock test nowMock Exam
Take an exam with 100 random questions selected from all subjects to test your knowledge.
Coming SoonGet More
Subject Mock Tests
Try practicing mock tests with over 200,000 questions from various medical subjects.
Attempt a mock test now