For One Week, a 48-Year-Old Man Is Evaluated for Shortness

For one week, a 48-year-old man is evaluated for shortness of breath and a dry cough. The patient has never had similar symptoms before and does not take any medications. He has a 5-pack-year smoking history and does not drink or use illegal drugs. The patient is a pig farmer from Ohio who has not traveled in a long time. The temperature is 37.8 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) , the blood pressure is 128/85 mm Hg, the pulse rate is 95 beats per minute, and the respirations rate is 16 beats per minute. Auscultation of the lungs reveals scattered wheezing and crackles. The image below depicts a peripheral blood smear. The nucleated cells seen on this patient's peripheral smear most likely perform which of the following functions?

A) Bacterial opsonization
B) Destruction of helminths
C) Inhibition of fungal growth
D) Killing of virus-infected cells
E) Stimulation of fibroblasts

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