A child with sickle cell disease has severe bone pain, fever and a hot swollen limb. Which organism is the characteristic cause of osteomyelitis in this condition?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Salmonella species, alongside Staphylococcus aureus
- Step 1: Sickle cell disease causes bone infarcts and functional asplenia. Step 2. Salmonella is overrepresented in osteomyelitis in sickle cell disease, but Staphylococcus aureus is still the commonest overall. Answer: Salmonella species, alongside Staphylococcus aureus. Why not the others: Pseudomonas occurs in puncture wounds and injecting drug users. Meningococcus is not typical of osteomyelitis. M. avium occurs in advanced HIV.
Practise more Haematology.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed UKMLA Applied Knowledge Test (MSRA-style single best answer) mock tests.
More Haematology questions
- A 62-year-old man has iron-deficiency anaemia on a routine blood test, with no symptoms. What is the most important next step?
- A vegan patient has macrocytic anaemia, numbness of the feet and loss of vibration sense, with a low serum B12. Why should folic acid not be…
- A patient receiving chemotherapy has a temperature of 38.5 degrees Celsius and a neutrophil count of 0.3 x 10^9/L. According to NICE, how qu…
- A woman has fever, confusion, microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopenia and renal impairment. What is the correct management?
- According to NICE, what haemoglobin threshold may be considered for red cell transfusion in a patient without acute coronary syndrome or maj…
- A middle-aged patient has leucocytosis, splenomegaly and the Philadelphia chromosome. Which fusion gene is present and which drug class is f…