Chest and cardiac imaging: Klebsiella pneumonia: practice question

A Radiology question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

Try it

Radiology · Chest and cardiac imaging: Klebsiella pneumonia

Sample item

A chronic alcoholic has fever and jelly-like sputum. The chest radiograph shows a dense upper-lobe consolidation with the horizontal fissure bowed downward. Which organism is most likely?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Klebsiella pneumoniae

Klebsiella causes a dense, voluminous lobar consolidation whose heavy exudate expands the lobe so the adjacent fissure bulges, a sagging fissure sign. It affects alcoholics and diabetics, and necrosis and cavitation are common. Pneumococcus produces lobar consolidation without marked volume expansion.

Option by option

  • A. Mycoplasma pneumoniae

    Mycoplasma gives patchy interstitial or segmental shadowing in younger patients.

  • B. Legionella pneumophila

    Legionella gives patchy consolidation with gastrointestinal and neurological features.

  • C. Klebsiella pneumoniae (correct)

    Correct. A bulging fissure with lobar consolidation in an alcoholic suggests Klebsiella.

  • D. Streptococcus pneumoniae

    Pneumococcus gives lobar consolidation without a bulging fissure.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More Radiology questions

Questions about this Radiology question

What is the answer to this Radiology question?

The best answer is C, Klebsiella pneumoniae. Klebsiella causes a dense, voluminous lobar consolidation whose heavy exudate expands the lobe so the adjacent fissure bulges, a sagging fissure sign.

Why is "Mycoplasma pneumoniae" not the answer?

Mycoplasma gives patchy interstitial or segmental shadowing in younger patients.

Why is "Legionella pneumophila" not the answer?

Legionella gives patchy consolidation with gastrointestinal and neurological features.

Why is "Streptococcus pneumoniae" not the answer?

Pneumococcus gives lobar consolidation without a bulging fissure.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Chest and cardiac imaging: Klebsiella pneumonia in Radiology. It affects alcoholics and diabetics, and necrosis and cavitation are common. Pneumococcus produces lobar consolidation without marked volume expansion.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Chest and cardiac imaging: Klebsiella pneumonia?

Learn signs with the image, and the disease they point to. Then use the flashcards and the other Radiology questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.