MEDizzy - A 5-year-old boy develops rhinorrhea, sneezing, lacrimation,

Feed Library Learning Discuss Leaderboard Journal

Infectious Diseases IV

A 5-year-old boy develops rhinorrhea, sneezing, lacrimation, and conjunctival suffusion. Blood count reveals WBC count of 18,000 cells/μl. You suspect pertussis. Of the following, the blood smear finding that support your diagnosis is

ExplanationLeukocytosis (15,000-100,000 cells/μL) caused by absolute lymphocytosis is characteristic in the catarrhal stage. Lymphocytes are normal small cells, rather than the large, atypical lymphocytes seen with viral infections. Neutrophilia suggests secondary bacterial infection. Eosinophilia is not a manifestation of pertussis