Pneumonia refers to the inflammation of the air sacs, which are basic units of function in the human lungs. The inflammation may occur in one or both lungs regardless of a person's age, sex or gender. The condition can be caused by fungi, bacteria or viruses which invade the human body (McDonough, 2017). The causal agent is ascertained through a lab test for more accurate treatment and establishment of an effective plan of care. In the case study, the specimen will be the sputum from the patient which will be analyzed to show the exact causal microbe. The fungal lab test for the determination of the microbe; which is a fungus, will be examined. Then the pneumonia vulnerability, symptoms, treatment and prevention will be effectively and utterly examined.
Part 1: Lab Fungi Test
The sputum from the patient will be used to control the experiment to ascertain whether a fungus is the real cause of pneumonia in the patient or not. If the sputum on the slide is critically examined under the microscope, then strange microorganisms will be visible to the naked eye of the examining laboratory technician. The essence of this control sample is to minimize the impacts of other irrelevant variables. It enhances focus on the relevant variable hence increasing the reliability of the outcome. The reliability results lead to an accurate treatment of the infection. If the pneumonia in this case is caused by a fungus, I would expect to see fungal-structured micro-organisms on the slide. To ascertain whether it is a fungus, I expect to see a bizarre growth attached with hyphae, visible in the sputum smear if viewed under the light microscope. They usually lack a nucleus and will be larger than the other cells in the sputum. This will indicate that the causal agent is a fungus.
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Part 2: Symptoms, Vulnerability, Treatment, and Prevention
Symptoms and Vulnerability
According to Mayo Clinic (2018), a pneumonia patient experiences overall body fatigue, fever, shortness of breath, nausea, cough, vomiting among others. In individuals over the age of 65 years, mental confusion and low body temperatures are evident (Mayo Clinic, 2018). The intensity in which the symptoms manifest is majorly determined by one's immunity. Pneumonia is likely to affect the very young and elderly people in the society (McDonough, 2017). The young and the elderly have a weaker immunity as compared to other people and hence likely to be affected. The most common causal agents, in this case, are bacteria (McDonough, 2017). It means that the young and the elderly should be kept in an environment free from the bacteria and other causal agents.
Treatment and Prevention of Pneumonia
A clinician decides how the treatment will be initiated based on the severity of the condition and the type of causal agent. Majorly, antibiotics are offered depending on the causal agent. According to Hightower (2017), antibiotics are given in cases of bacterial or viral pneumonia and pneumonia caused by mycoplasma. Antifungal medications are offered in cases of fungal pneumonia (Hightower, 2017). The treatment ensures that the causal micro-organisms are eliminated from the system and the patient attains his/her normal health. They also strengthen one's immunity enabling their bodies to counter re-infection of the disease. It allows the body to repair worn out tissues due to the tissue destruction caused by the disease.
To prevent further spreading and infection of the disease, patients, and medical practitioners are urged to maintain high-levels of hygiene. Medical pieces of equipment should always be disinfected to prevent the spread of the infection from one person to the other (Hightower, 2017). People in the community should be given vaccines against pneumonia and they health education about the seriousness of the disease (Hightower, 2017). For instance, the vaccine against flu can prevent pneumonia (Hightower, 2017). Furthermore, people should embrace a healthy living free from activities like smoking and alcoholism. Smokers have higher chance of contracting the disease than non-smokers.
References
Hightower. C. (2017). Pneumonia. Retrieved from http://www.innerbody.com/diseases-conditions/pneumonia
Mayo Clinic. (2018). Pneumonia. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pneumonia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354204
McDonough. B. (2017). Vulnerable Population At Risk For Community-Acquired Pneumonia. Retrieved from http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2015/02/02/vulnerable-population-at-risk-for-community-acquired-pneumonia/
