A 20-year-old female college student is admitted to the intensive care unit from the emergency department. The patient lives in a dormitory at her university and her roommate brought her to the hospital because “she is not acting like herself.” The patient was previously healthy to the roommate’s knowledge, involved in campus activities, and an excellent student. The RN collects the patient’s history of present illness from her roommate. About two weeks prior, the patient began feeling ill. She had nasal congestion and was diagnosed with a sinus infection at the student health clinic. However, the patient reportedly decided against taking the prescribed antibiotics because she did not believe they were necessary. She developed high fevers and one day ago began complaining of a stiff neck. That morning, she was more lethargic, making nonsensical statements, and had a fever of 105°F. Her roommate was frightened by her change in behavior and drove her to the hospital.

E. coli can readily form biofilms. How do biofilms impact its survival and pathogenicity? 

Which immune cell type is primarily responsible for producing antibodies in response to the chickenpox virus? 

A 47-year-old male and father of five works as a high school English teacher. He recently read in the community newspaper that local sewage is treated and repurposed to the community as drinking water. His senior English class is concerned about the quality of drinking water in the city and they want to petition the state senate to pass a bill barring the practice. He comes to the local health department asking for information.

A 78-year-old male presents to the emergency department reporting a 2-day history of difficulty breathing, cough, and chest pain. Upon triage assessment, the patient is found to have a fever, rapid rate of breathing, low oxygen saturation, and crackles upon auscultation of the lungs. A chest X-ray reveals consolidation in the right upper lung field. The patient is diagnosed with pneumonia, initiated on oxygen therapy, and admitted for observation and treatment.

P. aeruginosa can readily form biofilms. Which cellular structure allows it to form biofilms?

The public health department is following a 34-year-old male who has reported several weeks of general malaise and a low-grade fever. The nurse assigned to his case communicates with the patient regarding the results of his laboratory testing.

Which of the following statements by a new nurse demonstrates understanding of the cause of infectious disease?

You are an RN in a long-term care facility caring for a 79-year-old female. The patient has been a resident on in the facility for the past 5 years. She has been complaining of pain, burning, and tingling on her left side. Upon further assessment, you observe fluid-filled blisters wrapping around the left side of her torso in a concentrated strip. The facility physician confirms she had a previous episode of chickenpox as a child, diagnoses her with shingles and orders the appropriate isolation.

A 36-year-old female is bit by a raccoon and presents to the emergency department with mild trauma to her right lower extremity. Following a triage assessment, the patient’s wound is cleaned and dressed. The physician verbalizes concern that the patient may have been exposed to rabies from the bite. One role of the RN is to provide education to the patient regarding rabies infection and its transmission.