This is a real-world medical entrance exam question, please give the true answer based on the question and selection. Topic name: Inflammation & Repair, Subject name: Pathology
A 32-year-old woman has had a chronic cough with fever for the past month. On physical examination, her temperature is 37.5deg C. A chest radiograph shows many small, ill-defined nodular opacities in all lung fields. A transbronchial biopsy specimen shows interstitial infiltrates with lymphocytes, plasma cells, and epithelioid macrophages. Which of the following infectious agents is the most likely cause of this appearance? 
Select and explain. 
A. Candida albicans, B. Cytomegalovirus, C. Enterobacter aerogenes, D. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
D: Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Answer: D: Mycobacterium tuberculosis 
Explanation: These findings suggest a granulomatous inflammation, and tuberculosis is a common cause. Candida is often a commensal organism in the oropharyngeal region and rarely causes pneumonia in healthy (non-immunosuppressed) individuals. Viral infections tend to produce a mononuclear interstitial inflammatory cell response. Bacteria such as Enterobacter and Staphylococcus are more likely to produce acute inflammation. Plasmodium produces malaria, a parasitic infection without a significant degree of lung involvement.