Description
Concerning Rash
Your stepbrother John is 5 years old. One day he comes to the breakfast table with a bright red face almost as if he had been slapped. When you look more closely you can see thousands of tiny red bumps on his skin. He has a milder rash on his arms and legs and just a few bumps on his trunk. He isn’t acting sick and doesn’t have a fever. He had chickenpox when he was 3 and his immunization schedule is up to date. He sticks his tongue out at you while you’re examining his skin and that reminds you to check his throat, which looks normal, no redness. He says his throat hasn’t felt sore. Your mom mentions that he had a runny nose for the last few days, but he hasn’t felt ill.
What is your diagnosis? Why was his throat checked?
Can John go to kindergarten today? Why or why not?
Is this infection rare? Explain.
Are any sequelae associated with this infection? If so, name them.
Describe another infection that can cause a rash. Compare and contrast that infection with the one described above.
Reference: Cowan, M. K. (2002) The microbe files: Cases in microbiology for the undergraduate (p.19). San Francisco, CA: Benjamin Cummings.
