Please read the clinical scenario, and then answer the question that follow to become familiar with the traditional NCLEX question format.
A 67-year-old patient with severe sepsis undergoes a full infectious workup upon admittance to the intensive care unit. Cultures of urine, blood, sputum, and cerebral spinal fluid are obtained. The cultures do not yield a specific organism, so further analysis of the sample is done to determine the characteristics of the microorganism. The metabolic processes are analyzed in the lab.
-The organism sample is further tested and found to grow in the absence of oxygen.Which of three main pathways of catabolism may this organism utilize to produce energy in the absence of free oxygen?

Question

Please read the clinical scenario, and then answer the question that follow to become familiar with the traditional NCLEX question format.
  A 67-year-old patient with severe sepsis undergoes a full infectious workup upon admittance to the intensive care unit. Cultures of urine, blood, sputum, and cerebral spinal fluid are obtained. The cultures do not yield a specific organism, so further analysis of the sample is done to determine the characteristics of the microorganism. The metabolic processes are analyzed in the lab.
-The organism sample is further tested and found to grow in the absence of oxygen.Which of three main pathways of catabolism may this organism utilize to produce energy in the absence of free oxygen?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The question specifies that the microorganism is able to grow in the absence of oxygen, which means it cannot utilize aerobic respiration. It is also stated that the cultures do not yield a specific organism, so it is unclear if the microorganism is able to perform anaerobic respiration. The only process that can occur in the absence of oxygen is fermentation, which is why the microorganism is likely utilizing fermentation and anaerobic respiration to produce energy. Therefore, the answer is choice C, fermentation and anaerobic respiration.

Please Read the Clinical Scenario, and Then Answer the Question