A child admitted with fever, rash begins behind ears, conjunctivitis, coryza, cough and koplik spot. Based on the clinical manifestations, choose the correct description of the pathogen?
The clinical manifestations described in the question are characteristic of measles, a contagious disease caused by the measles virus. Let's break down the key symptoms mentioned:
Fever and rash: Measles is typically associated with a high fever and a characteristic rash that starts behind the ears and spreads to the rest of the body.
Conjunctivitis: This is a common symptom of measles, characterized by inflammation and redness of the eyes.
Coryza: Refers to cold-like symptoms, such as runny nose and nasal congestion, prevalent in measles.
Cough: A persistent cough is also often present in measles cases.
Koplik spots: These are small, white lesions inside the mouth that are pathognomonic for measles.
Based on these clinical features, we can determine the nature of the pathogen responsible for measles:
Measles is caused by a single-stranded (ss), enveloped RNA virus belonging to the Paramyxoviridae family and the Morbillivirus genus.