A 67-year-old homeless man reports to the physician with a 1-week history of a productive cough, shortness of breath and high fever. He denies alcohol, drug, or tobacco use. The patient says that the onset of symptoms was sudden. X-ray of the chest shows a large left lower lobe opacity. Which of the following antibiotics would best initially treat this patient’s infection?
A) Ceftriaxone
B) Clindamycin
C) Doxycycline
D) Erythromycin
E) Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole
First Aid Q&A for Step1 [2nd edition]©
[expand title=”CLICK HERE VIEW CORRECT ANSWER:”][sociallocker]The patient described has typical community-acquired pneumonia, which is characterized by high-grade fever, productive cough, and acute onset. Common bacteria causing lobar pneumonia include Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Haemophilus influenzae, which would be covered with ceftriaxone, a broadspectrum third-generation cephalosporin.[/sociallocker][/expand]