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Case 1: A 43-Year-Old with a Persistent Skin Rash

You answered:

C Secondary syphilis.

This answer is incorrect. The patient’s rash is not consistent with secondary syphilis. Patients who have secondary syphilis and a skin rash typically have a diffuse erythematous macular or papular rash. The microscopic findings here would point to another diagnosis. Examination of a specimen using a dark-field microscope would be required to see Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis.

A Psoriasis with secondary lice infestation.
B Seborrheic dermatitis.
D Crusted scabies.


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