OVERVIEW
This page is dedicated to organizing various examples of standardized exam questions whose answer is Salmonella infection. While this may seem a odd practice, it is useful to see multiple examples of how Salmonella infection will be characterized on standardized exams (namely the boards and the shelf exams). This page is not meant to be used as a tradition question bank (as all of the answers will be the same), however seeing the classic “test” characterization for a disease is quite valuable.
QUESTION EXAMPLES
Question # 1
A 4 year old boy is brought to the clinic because of a fever, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea that has lasted for the past 2 days. She goes to daycare, and there are several other children there with similar symptoms. For days ago the day care center held a picnic at a local lakeside park where barbecued chicken and several salads were served. The center also is known to have a friendly pet hamster. The patient’s temperature is currently 102°F. She appears to be well hydrated during the physical exam. An abodminla exam is remarkable for mild diffuse tenderness. The remainder of the exam shows no abnormalities. Labs are collected and are shown below:
- Hemoglobin: 11.2 g/dL
- Leukocyte count: 10, 500/mm³
- Segmented neutrophils: 34%
- Bands: 6%
- Platelet count: 350,000/mm³
Examination of stool for oven and parasites is negative. A Rotavirus test is negative. A stool culture is collected and is pending. What diagnosis might the stool culture confirm?
Explanation: fever + diarrhea + history of eating chicken at barbecue = Salmonella infection
Page Updated: 11.06.2016