QBANK A 35 year old male with human immunodeficiency virus comes to the ER presenting with one week of fever, malaise, and headache. He also reports having

[DianaZ]

A 35 year old male with human immunodeficiency virus comes to the ER presenting with one week of fever, malaise, and headache. He also reports having some neck stiffness over the past two days. On physical exam, he has a temperature of 102.4 F with stable blood pressure and heart rate. He has no focal neurological deficits, but is very uncomfortable when a pen light is shined in his eye to examine his pupils. You suspect cryptococcal meningitis and perform a spinal tap to obtain CSF. Which preparation would most likely lead to the correct identification of the organism responsible for this patient’s meningitis?

A. Congo red
B. India ink
C. Periodic acid-Schiff
D. Silver stain
E. Ziehl-Neelsen