A 20-year-old male comes to the physician because of a 1-week-history of a painless ulceration on his penis. The patient is sexually active with multiple partners and does not use barrier protection. He underwent testing for sexually transmitted infections and was found to have a positive VDRL and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test. The patient received an intramuscular injection of benzathine penicillin G. Several hours later, he comes to the hopsital due to fever, chills, headache, and myalgias. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this patient's current symptoms?

Question

A 20-year-old male comes to the physician because of a 1-week-history of a painless ulceration on his penis. The patient is sexually active with multiple partners and does not use barrier protection. He underwent testing for sexually transmitted infections and was found to have a positive VDRL and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test. The patient received an intramuscular injection of benzathine penicillin G. Several hours later, he comes to the hopsital due to fever, chills, headache, and myalgias.  Which of the following is the most likely cause of this patient's current symptoms?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: The Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction is an acute inflammatory reaction that occurs within hours of treatment for spirochetal infections (eg, syphilis).  The rapid lysis of spirochetes releases inflammatory bacterial lipoproteins into the circulation and causes acute fever, rigors, and myalgias.

A 20-Year-Old Male Comes to the Physician Because of a 1-Week-History