Pathology and Microbiology Flashcards

At autopsy, diffuse alveolar damage with hyaline membrane formation is the hallmark lesion of:

Answer: Acute respiratory distress syndrome

ARDS is characterized histologically by diffuse alveolar damage with protein-rich hyaline membranes lining alveolar ducts.

Which type of emboli is most commonly found at autopsy in cases of sudden death following long bone fractures?

Answer: Fat emboli

Long bone fractures release bone marrow fat globules that can embolize to the pulmonary vasculature, causing fat embolism syndrome.

Pseudomembranous colitis, diagnosed at autopsy, is most commonly caused by:

Answer: Clostridioides difficile

C. difficile toxins A and B cause mucosal damage and characteristic pseudomembrane formation, usually following antibiotic therapy.

Which staining method best demonstrates fungal organisms such as Histoplasma capsulatum in postmortem tissue?

Answer: Gomori methenamine silver (GMS)

GMS stain colors fungal cell walls black against a green background, making it the standard method for detecting fungi in tissue.

The presence of Negri bodies in Purkinje cells of the cerebellum at autopsy is diagnostic of:

Answer: Rabies

Negri bodies are eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusions containing viral nucleocapsid material, pathognomonic for rabies virus infection.

Which postmortem artifact can mimic ante-mortem petechial hemorrhage in the conjunctiva?

Answer: Tardieu spots

Tardieu spots are subpleural and conjunctival petechiae from asphyxia but can also occur postmortem from mechanical pressure, potentially mimicking ante-mortem findings.

A decedent's kidney shows bilateral cortical pallor with medullary hyperemia at autopsy. This pattern is most consistent with:

Answer: Acute tubular necrosis

ATN from ischemia or nephrotoxins causes tubular epithelial death with cortical pallor and preserved medullary blood flow.