Infectious Disease

A rapidly developing lesion . . . flashing lights . . . blue sclera: can you answer this week’s 5 quiz questions?

Vaccination against influenza substantially reduces the disease’s burden in the United States each year, according to the results of a unique look at the impact of vaccinations.

A biopsy revealed non-caseating granulomata, and culture revealed Mycobacterium marinum. This patient had a fish tank at home, and used his right hand to perform maintenance.

Pulmonary embolism was the diagnosis in these 3 women, each of whom presented with positional right flank pain.

A scabies diagnosis can be made with a history of pruritus that is worse in the evening with a rash in a typical distribution and a history of itching in close contacts.

A pruritic rash of 1 week's duration on the boy's elbows, knees, back, and legs did not respond to oral prednisone.

Antiretroviral therapy may not halt neurocognitive decline even in patients who have normal CD4 counts and undetectable viral loads.

Cutaneous larva migrans (CLM), also known as “creeping eruption,” is the most commonly acquired tropical dermatosis

Because of this patient’s recent travel history to Africa, the penile lesions were cultured, and Haemophilus ducreyi was isolated, confirming the clinical suspicion of chancroid.

This week’s questions challenge your dermatologic and radiologic skills, and then some. See how you fare…

The diagnosis of juvenile dermatomyositis can be challenging when proximal muscle weakness develops without characteristic skin manifestations. In this patient, rash appeared 2 months after the onset of muscle weakness. As a result, the initial diagnosis was viral myositis, which led to delayed therapy.

Screening is advised for persons at high risk for infection along with one-time screening for all adults born between 1945 and 1965.

Approval of a blood test that identifies the genotype of hepatitis C virus that has infected a patient can be expected to improve the effectiveness of treatment for chronic hepatitis C with new antivirals.

This non-specific pruritic eruption is a common manifestation associated with HIV infection, especially in the pediatric population.

Images of acute allergic contact dermatitis, Lyme disease, southern tick–associated rash illness, tick-borne babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and brown recluse spider bites.

A 31-year-old man was treated for otitis media after presenting to the ED with severe ear fullness, pain, and diminished hearing on one side. Despite antibiotic treatment, the symptoms worsened after 72 hours. his symptoms worsened. Tender, vesicular erythematous lesions developed in his mouth and exclusively on the left side of his face, including his forehead, maxilla, and mandible

Women tend to be excluded from pharmaceutical company-sponsored trials of antiretroviral medications.

Which organism is the likely cause of this lesion? Can you pick up dx clues in this sonogram? Test your clinical skills here with this week’s 5-question quiz...

This nodule on the neck is a typical location and appearance for an epidermal cyst. If the cyst has never been inflamed or infected, it may be removable through a very small punch biopsy followed by lateral pressure or a small linear incision.

In the current milieu, the clinician should assume that MRSA is responsible for furuncles, until culture proves otherwise. Incision and drainage is the most important part of therapy, but oral antibiotics should be considered in large lesions, very young or very old patients, and when cellulitis surrounds the boil.

Recurrent C difficile requires pulse vancomycin therapy; fecal microbiota transplant shows promise.

Images: oral hairy leukoplakia, oroesophageal candidiasis, disseminated cryptococcosis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, eosinophilic pustular folliculitis, prurigo nodularis.

In HIV-infected patients receiving HAART, fatigue and orthostasis are highly prevalent.

A new era in hepatitis C treatment began in May 2011, with approval of telaprevir and boceprevir. They are effective only for some patients, but new and better options are well on their way to the clinic.

Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a peripheral facial neuropathy that causes unilateral lower motor neuron pattern facial weakness. It is associated with a painful erythematous vesicular rash of the ear or nearby areas and/or oropharynx.