After staining your patient's specimen,an aspirate from the lungs,by the acid-fast stain method and focusing on the specimen,you find a large population of hot pink-red bacillus shaped bacteria in the smear.Which statement is true?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Hot pink-red bacillus shaped bacteria are typical of acid-fast staining and are indicative of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis. Therefore, it is very likely that the patient has tuberculosis. Option A is untrue because normal sputum from healthy individuals would not contain large populations of acid-fast bacteria. Option B is unlikely because pneumonia would not typically result in the identification of acid-fast bacteria. Option D cannot be determined solely from the results of the acid-fast staining.

After Staining Your Patient's Specimen,an Aspirate from the Lungs,by the Acid-Fast