Infectious Disease + Travel Health Flashcards
(2 cards)
A patient presents with a week of flu-like symptoms, then later develops non-productive cough, and erythematous skin lesions. His CXR shows bibasal consolidation. What is the likely diagnosis?
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Erythema multiforme is suggestive of MP
This requires serology for IgM antibodies against MP
Treatment is Doxycycline or a Macrolide (Clarithromycin or Erythromycin)
A patient with syphilis presents with pupils that accommodate but do not respond to light. What is the diagnosis?
Neurosyphilis
Argyll-Robertson pupil - this is a condition typically associated with neurosyphilis, a tertiary form of syphilis caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum. In this condition, the pupils are small and irregular in shape. They accommodate (constrict when focusing on near objects) but do not react to direct light, a phenomenon known as ‘light-near dissociation’. This occurs due to damage to the pretectal nuclei in the midbrain that control pupillary light reflex.
Also seen in diabetes
Mnemonic:
ARP - Accommodation Reflex Present
PRA - Pupillary Reflex Absent
