Koplik's spots (also Koplik's sign) are a
prodromic viral
enanthem of measles manifesting two to three days before the
measles
Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...
rash
A rash is a change of the human skin which affects its color, appearance, or texture.
A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, chapped, dry, c ...
itself. They are characterized as clustered, white lesions on the
buccal mucosa (opposite the lower 1st & 2nd
molars) and are
pathognomonic Pathognomonic (rare synonym ''pathognomic'') is a term, often used in medicine, that means "characteristic for a particular disease". A pathognomonic sign is a particular sign whose presence means that a particular disease is present beyond any doub ...
for
measles
Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...
.
The textbook description of Koplik spots is ulcerated mucosal lesions marked by necrosis, neutrophilic exudate, and neovascularization. They are described as appearing like "grains of salt on a reddish background",
and often fade as the maculopapular rash develops. As well as their diagnostic significance they are important in the control of outbreaks. Their appearance, in context of a diagnosed case, before they reach maximum infectivity, permits isolation of the contacts and greatly aids control of this highly infectious disease.
Nobel laureate
The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make o ...
John F. Enders
John Franklin Enders (February 10, 1897 – September 8, 1985) was an American biomedical scientist and Nobel Laureate. Enders has been called "The Father of Modern Vaccines."
Life and education
Enders was born in West Hartford, Connecticut on ...
and Thomas Peebles, who first isolated the measles virus, were careful to collect their samples from patients showing Koplik's spots.
History
Koplik's spots are named after
Henry Koplik
Henry Koplik (October 28, 1858 in New York City – April 30, 1927 in New York City) was an American physician. He was educated at the College of the City of New York and at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and earned his medical degre ...
(1858-1927), an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
pediatrician
Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...
who published a short description of them in 1896, emphasising their appearance before the skin rash and their value in the differential diagnosis of diseases with which measles might be mistaken.
[ He published two further papers on the spots, including one with a colour illustration.]Johann Andreas Murray
Johan Andreas (Anders) Murray (27 January 1740 – 22 May 1791) was a Swedish physician of German descent and botanist, who published a major work on plant-derived medicines.
Biography
Johan Anders Murray was born in Stockholm on 27 January 1740, ...
(1740-1791). Before Koplik, the German internist Carl Jakob Adolf Christian Gerhardt
Carl Jakob Adolf Christian Gerhardt (there are several variations regarding the arrangement of his 3 middle names; 5 May 1833 – 22 July 1902) was a German internist born in Speyer.
Biography
He studied medicine at the University of Wür ...
(1833-1902) in 1874, the Danish physician N. Flindt in 1879, and the Russian Nil Filatov (1847-1902) in 1895, had observed equivalent phenomena.[Koplik, H. "The diagnosis of the invasion of measles from a study of the exanthema as it appears on the buccal mucous membrane"]
''Archives of Pediatrics,'' New York, 1896; 13: 918-922," (accessed 13 September 2006) Koplik was aware of Filatov's work,[
]
References
Further reading
*
External links
Koplik spots in early measles
- Canadian Medical Association Journal
{{Oral pathology
Measles