18th January 2024

A 26-year-old male presents with a red, hot swollen wrist.

A 26-year-old male presents with a red, hot swollen wrist. He is febrile and tachycardic. He denies any symptoms of breathlessness or dizziness. His blood results show the following:

Haemoglobin 68 g/L

Mean Cell Volume 88 fL

White Cell Count 21.0 x10⁹/L

Neutrophils 16.3 x10⁹/L

Lymphocytes 1.0 x10⁹/L

Reticulocytes 17%

He undergoes a joint aspirate. What organism is most likely to be cultured in the synovial fluid aspirate?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.