Match the following clinical exposure scenarios with their most appropriate post-exposure prophylaxis or empiric treatment regimen.
- Close contact with a patient diagnosed with Neisseria meningitidis meningitisOral rifampin, oral ciprofloxacin, or intramuscular ceftriaxone
- Sustained a deep puncture wound from a domestic cat biteOral amoxicillin-clavulanate
- Found an engorged Ixodes scapularis tick attached for >36 hours in a Lyme-endemic regionOral single-dose doxycycline
- Sustained a high-risk needlestick injury from a patient with a known, untreated HIV infectionThree-drug antiretroviral therapy (e.g., tenofovir, emtricitabine, raltegravir)
Answer
Meningococcal contact requires Rifampin/Ciprofloxacin/Ceftriaxone; Cat bite requires Amoxicillin-clavulanate; High-risk tick bite requires single-dose Doxycycline; HIV needlestick requires Three-drug antiretroviral therapy.
Each exposure corresponds to a specific, evidence-based prophylactic or early treatment regimen designed to eradicate the most likely transmitted pathogen before an active infection becomes established.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Post-exposure prophylaxis and early empiric treatment regimens for common infectious exposures.