A 22-year-old man seeks medical attention at his college’s infirmary. He had been in excellent health until 1 week earlier, when he noted onset of fever, headache, and malaise. After a few days, pain and swelling developed on the left side of his neck beneath the angle of the jaw. His illness became severe enough that he missed classes. He denies cough and sputum production, and he has not had any GI symptoms. He has pain on swallowing in the same area as the external neck pain and swelling, but he says this is not the pain he typically experiences with a sore throat.
History
The patient takes no medications. He drinks alcohol on weekends at parties but otherwise does not drink excessively and does not use illicit drugs. One or two students in his dormitory have been ill recently, but he is not sure of their specific symptoms or diagnosis.
Physical Examination
Temperature is 38.7°C (101.6°F); heart rate, 92 beats per minute. Sclerae are injected. No redness, swelling, or exudates are noted in the pharynx, and the tonsils are normal and symmetrical. Neck is exquisitely tender on the left side, with swelling in the angle of the left jaw. No enlarged cervical or supraclavicular lymph nodes are palpable on the left; right side of the neck is normal. Results of the remainder of the physical examination are normal.
Laboratory Results
Results of routine laboratory studies, including a complete blood cell count and a chemistry/biochemistry profile, are normal.
Which of the following statements about this patient is most likely to be true? |
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