Case Study 1: This 68-year-old North Carolina man was admit…
Case Study 1: This 68-year-old North Carolina man was admitted to the hospital for evaluation of a persistent right lower lobe infiltrate. The patient works in a cotton mill in the so-called “opening room”, where he opens bundles of cotton received from the southwestern United States. Three weeks prior to admission, he presented to his primary care physician for evaluation of fever, chills, weight loss, and anorexia. He was treated with oral amoxicillin, but his condition worsened. His PPD test was negative and three sputum specimens were negative for acid-fast bacilli on smear. Fungal cultures of sputum and blood grew a mold which on microscopic examination had numerous rectangular alternating light and dark barrel-like structures. Case Study 1.3: What does this organism look like when grown in culture at 250C?