Organ System Pathology USMLE Step 1 Practice Question
A 50 year old man with poor dentition presents with fever, malaise, and a new heart murmur 2 weeks after a dental extraction. Blood cultures grow alpha hemolytic gram positive cocci that are optochin resistant and bile insoluble. Echocardiography reveals a vegetation on a previously abnormal mitral valve. Which of the following organisms is the most likely cause?
Answer choices
- APseudomonas aeruginosa
- BStaphylococcus epidermidis
- CStaphylococcus aureus
- DStreptococcus viridansCorrect answer
- EEnterococcus faecalis
- FStreptococcus pneumoniae
See the full explanation
Get the correct-answer rationale, why each distractor is wrong, the underlying mechanism, and high-yield associations — plus adaptive practice that targets your weak areas — with a free MedBoardPRO account.