A child presented with fever and lymphadenopathy. Oral examination shows a grey membrane over the right tonsil. Which of the following medium will be used for early diagnosis of pathogen:
First, I need to recall the possible pathogens. A grey membrane on the tonsil is classic for diphtheria, caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae. The key here is the clinical presentation. Diphtheria is a bacterial infection that forms a pseudomembrane, often in the throat, which can lead to airway obstruction and systemic complications like myocarditis.
Now, the question is about the diagnostic medium. For C. diphtheriae, the standard diagnostic method involves culture on specific media. The options (A-D) aren't listed, but based on common microbiology knowledge, the correct medium is likely a selective agar. Let me think: C. diphtheriae is a Gram-positive, non-spore-forming, non-motile bacillus. It's fastidious and requires specific media. The most common is Löffler's serum slope for rapid growth and metachromatic granules, but for isolation, tellurite agar (like Hiss or Tinsdale) is used because it inhibits normal flora. Another option could be blood agar, but that's not selective. The correct answer here would be a tellurite medium, which helps in distinguishing C. diphtheriae from other organisms.
Looking at the possible distractors: if option A is blood agar, that's incorrect because it's not selective. If B is Löffler's, it's used for preliminary growth but not isolation. C might be a selective medium like tellurite agar, which is correct. D could be another medium like MacConkey, which is for Gram-negative bacteria, so that's wrong.
The clinical pearl here is recognizing the grey membrane as diphtheria and knowing the appropriate culture medium. The high-yield fact is that tellurite agar is the selective medium for C. diphtheriae. The correct answer would be the option corresponding to tellurite agar, which is option C in many standard question sets.
**Core Concept**
This question tests knowledge of the microbiological diagnosis of diphtheria caused by *Corynebacterium diphtheriae*. The grey pseudomembrane on the tonsil is a hallmark clinical feature, and specific culture media are required for pathogen identification.
**Why the Correct Answer is Right**
*C. diphtheriae* is best isolated on **tellurite agar** (e.g., Hiss or Tinsdale medium). Tellurite inhibits normal flora, allowing *Corynebacterium* to grow and form characteristic black colonies due to tellurite reduction. These media also support detection of metachromatic granules via Albert’s stain, aiding rapid diagnosis. Early identification is critical to initiate antitoxin therapy and prevent systemic complications like myocarditis.
**Why Each Wrong Option is Incorrect**
**Option A:** *Blood agar* supports fastidious organisms but is non-selective and does not inhibit normal throat flora, making it unsuitable for isolating *C. diphtheriae*.
**Option B:** *Löffler’s serum slope* is used for preliminary enrichment and rapid detection of metachromatic granules but not for definitive isolation