A 1-week-old neonatal male born at 39 weeks’ gestation is brought to the obstetrician for irritability and difficulty breastfeeding. He is febrile at 38 C. The mother consumed a diet heavy in deli meats and soft cheeses during pregnancy. The organism most likely responsible for this patient’s condition is most taxonomically similar to which of the following?
Clostridium perfringens
Corynebacterium diphtheriae
Legionella spp.
Leptospira interrogans
Salmonella typhi
