Clinical history: A 33-year-old female dairy farmer develops a severe headache and neck stiffness. On physical examination, her temperature is 38.2°C. She has no papilledema. A lumbar puncture is performed, and a Gram stain of the CSF obtained shows many short, gram-positive rods. Photo includes CSF stain with short gram-positive rods.Why was the CSF obtained?What are the dangers with collecting this type of specimen?What tests would you run?Does the fact that the patient was a dairy farmer give anything of value to the diagnosis?What is the most likely diagnosis and treatment?No references, just homeworkPlease include references

C.S.F or Cerebrospinal fluid is clear, watery and colourless fluid that is present in an around the spinal cord and brain. Meninges is the protective covering of brain and spinal cord. Inflammation of meninges layers is called Meningitis. 1. C.S.F obtained from the patient, because neck stiffness along with severe headache and fever is suggesting an inflammation of brain or meninges or any other neurological disorder. C.S.F is a fluid that flows in an around the spinal cord and brain . Analysis of CSF may rule out the presence of infection in the Central nervous system. 2. Specimen CSF can be collected through the procedure Lumbar Puncture. It is the insertion of a large needle into the lumbar column of the vertebrae to obtain CSF. The dangers associated with Lumbar Puncture procedure are : ?Pain or discomfort in the back after the procedure which may radiate to legs. ? Spinal headache after the procedure may accompany dizziness, nausea and vomiting. ?Brain stem herniation may occur after lumbar puncture, if there is increased pressure or compression in the skull due to the condition like brain tumour. ? Bleeding in the epidural space may occur. 3. Tests other than Lumbar Puncture: ? Physical examination for specific signs like Brudzinski's sign and Kernig's sign, which are highly suggestive of Meningitis. ?Blood tests : Blood tests to detect antibodies against the Infection. Increased WBC may also suggest infection. ?C.T scan : to detect swelling, bleeding or inflammation of the brain. ( As per guidelines we need to attend only the first three questions for multi-subpart question. You can repost the remaining questions if you need. Thank you.)