A 44-Year-Old Man Comes to the Emergency Department with a 3-Day

A 44-year-old man comes to the emergency department with a 3-day history of fever, chills, malaise, dyspnea, and a cough productive of "greenish" sputum.  The patient has no prior medical problems and has never been hospitalized.  He has a 25-pack-year smoking history and drinks 4-5 beers a week.  His temperature is 39.4 C (103 F) , blood pressure is 130/80 mm Hg, pulse is 98/min, and respirations are 20/min.  On examination, dullness to percussion, crackles, and egophony are present at the right lung base.  The remainder of the examination is normal.  Chest x-ray shows a dense infiltrate occupying the entire right lower lobe.  Which of the following most likely accounts for the color of this patient's sputum?

A) Epithelial necrosis
B) Hemolysis
C) High bacterial load
D) Mucopolysaccharides
E) Myeloperoxidase

Correct Answer:

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