A 30-year-old woman comes to the office because of a 2-day history of fever and malaise. Yesterday, she developed a rash on her chest that has since spread to her shoulders, arms, neck, face, and stomach area. She tries her best not to scratch her body but describes the rash as "very itchy." She has not had nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. The patient has recently immigrated from South Africa with her family. Her temperature is 38.3°C (100.9°F), pulse is 90/min, respirations are 17/min, and blood pressure is 126/84 mm Hg. Examination of the skin shows a papular rash with vesicles and crusted lesions. The remainder of the physical examination shows no abnormalities. This patient's symptoms are most likely due to an infection with which of the following pathogens?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Primary varicella zoster virus infection presents with a prodromal illness (eg, fever, malaise) followed by pruritic, vesicular lesions that appear in successive crops in different stages.

A 30-Year-Old Woman Comes to the Office Because of a 2-Day