A 23 year old male returns from a mountainous area and develops a fever. He presents to you one day after the fever and by that time he has developed a rash that is shown in the picture below. His mental status (sensorium) is altered.

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Which one of the following would be the antibiotic of choice for this patient?

  1. Acyclovir

  2. Cotrimoxazole (Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim)

  3. Imipenem

  4. Doxycycline

  5. Augmentin (Amoxicillin/Clavulinate)

This patient has rocky mountain spotted fever and tetracyclines are the drug of choice.