A 31-year-old man arrives at the office with mouth lesions that cause little discomfort when eating. He also claims to be tired and to have lost weight unintentionally. The patient has no past medical issues and does not use any drugs. The results of the oral examination are displayed below. The lesions can be easily scraped off, revealing erythematous mucosa underneath. There are several enlarged cervical and axillary lymph nodes. Which of the following diagnostic tests is most appropriate during further workup of this patient?

Question

A 31-year-old man arrives at the office with mouth lesions that cause little discomfort when eating. He also claims to be tired and to have lost weight unintentionally. The patient has no past medical issues and does not use any drugs. The results of the oral examination are displayed below.  The lesions can be easily scraped off, revealing erythematous mucosa underneath.  There are several enlarged cervical and axillary lymph nodes.  Which of the following diagnostic tests is most appropriate during further workup of this patient?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Oral thrush is caused by Candida albicans infection and usually presents as white, plaque-like oropharyngeal lesions that are easily scraped off with a tongue depressor.  Affected patients typically have disruption to local microbial flora (eg, antibiotic use) or impairment in cell-mediated immunity (eg, corticosteroids, HIV).  Young, otherwise healthy patients with thrush should be tested for HIV, particularly if they have HIV risk factors or other symptoms of the virus.

A 31-Year-Old Man Arrives at the Office with Mouth Lesions