Koplik spots are described as what?

• A. Small irregular red spots with a minute bluish white center on the buccal mucosa
• B. Large white plaques on the tongue
• C. Vesicles along the arms
• D. Yellow crusts on the scalp

Answer: (A)

Koplik spots are an early diagnostic clue for measles, seen as tiny irregular red spots with a minute bluish-white center on the inner cheek mucosa (buccal mucosa) opposite the molars. This mucosal finding often appears before the measles rash and helps distinguish measles from other conditions. The other descriptions don’t fit because large white plaques on the tongue suggest oral candidiasis, vesicles on the skin like those seen in varicella or herpes, and yellow crusts on the scalp point to impetigo or seborrheic changes, not Koplik spots.