A 55-year-old man is brought to hospital by his girlfriend for a 3-hour episode of confusion and unusual behavior. Vitals are: temp 102.1 F, HR 80, RR 16, BP 135/85. Past medical history is remarkable for dyslipidemia managed with a low-dose statin. He does not take blood pressure medication. HbA1c at his last office visit was sub-6%. Non-contrast CT of the head shows no abnormalities. CSF analysis shows glucose and protein within the normal range; lymphocytes are elevated, with RBCs at 30/hpf. Which of the following is the most likely explanation for this patient’s findings?
A) DNA virus; enveloped; double-stranded linear
B) Gram-negative diplococcus
C) Gram-positive diplococcus
D) RNA virus; non-enveloped; single-stranded positive-sense non-segmented
E) Yeast demonstrating narrow-based budding on India ink and mucicarmine preps
