Case 1: Jon

Jon is a 35 year-old Asian male who presents in your office for a routine visit. Jon was diagnosed with HIV in 1995, but only recently started taking medications after his T-cells were determined to be 38 cells/mm³ and viral load was 640,000 copies/mL. Today however, he complains of a three-day history of some difficulty swallowing his pills. He states he has not had to miss any doses, but the pills hurt in the back of his throat as he tries to swallow them.

On examination, you notice white plaques on his posterior pharynx. These easily scrape off to reveal redness underneath.

You make the diagnosis of oral-pharyngeal candidiasis and prescribe a week's worth of fluconazole.