Case Study 2

Boy with fever and rash

Wrong answer!

In early June a 15-year old boy comes to your practice with his mother. He had been fine until about five days ago when he developed a fever. He has a stiff neck and a rash on his back. He and his family live in Connecticut near the New York State border. His mother reports that he was playing in the woods with some friends recently. Question 2 of 6 We established that the patient has Lyme disease. Which of the following organism is he infected with?

A. Streptococcus pyogenes

Infections with Streptococcus pyogenes can result in a variety of conditions ranging from "strep throat", impetigo and scarlet fever to toxic-shock-like syndrome. However, Streptococcus pyogenes does not cause Lyme disease. Systemic infecions with Streptococcus pyogenes can result in skin lesions such as cellulitis, scarlet fever or necrotizing fasciitis. These are acute and often life-threatening infections and the lesions differ from the rash observed in this patient.