Infectious Pulmonary Disorders: The Daily PANCE Blueprint
An 8-year-old male presents to the clinic. His mother is concerned because he has had terrible coughing spells for the past week that have a “whoop-like" quality. Which of the following is the first-line antibiotic for the most likely diagnosis?
A. Ceftriaxone
B. Ampicillin
C. Erythromycin
D. Doxycycline
E. Bactrim
Answer and topic summary
The answer is C. Erythromycin
Pertussis (aka “whooping cough”) is an acute respiratory tract infection that typically occurs in young children caused by Bordetella pertussis. There are different stages of the disease, but usually, patients will initially have sneezing, rhinorrhea, and malaise that progressives to severe spells of coughing (that leads to a high-pitch WHOOP sound when they are trying to breathe), followed by slow resolution of the symptoms (make take months). Diagnosis can be confirmed by culture or PCR testing of nasopharyngeal aspirate. 1st line is a macrolide antibiotic (e.g., erythromycin). It’s critical that people are vaccinated against pertussis.
View blueprint lesson
Smarty PANCE Content Blueprint Review:
Covered under ⇒ PANCE Blueprint Pulmonary ⇒ ⇒
Also covered as part of the Internal Medicine EOR and Emergency Medicine EOR topic lists
